As The World Burns
by ngrey651
Summary: The son of a supplanter and a bastard. A girl of questionable origin. The son of two thieves. They and their friends are about have their world turned upside down, as evil enters Hawaii from without...and within. Sequel to "Nobody Gets Left Behind".
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note:  
**_

_**First thing's first. This story was originally posted up on my Deviantart site, but because I was so amazed at how well it turned out, and the response to it, I thought, "Why not post it up here? Let others who don't access DA see it?" So, here it is. Done in dedication to dear friends with the help of Wormtail96, valito, Ahardie and 630Kila before I met my beloved Erin (my girlfriend, whom I sincerely hope is reading this, (blows kiss) and who is VERY sweet), this story is the result of a lot of hard work and I hope you all enjoy it.**_

_**For those of you confused about the TIMING of this story, and when it takes place in my grand timeline, this tale takes place after "Nobody Gets Left Behind". Specifically, it begins two years afterwards and there's a significant majority of "Experimental Americans" living in Hawaii now. The rest you'll figure out for yourself. ;)**_

_**Enjoy…and remember to review! I really enjoy answering the reviews in "Review Replies".  
**_  
_There is a story. A comic book series called "The Sandman". In it, there's an origin given for the power of dreams._

_It's said that people died off too quickly in the beginning…so quickly that they didn't have TIME to dream._

_The details are skewed a little._

_You see…dreaming is wondering…hoping…wishing that perhaps things could be a bit different…_

_Dreaming is "what if"…dreaming is wondering why._

_The moment people looked up into the sky…the moment they felt even the tiniest desire for something that they couldn't have…they began to dream about what it would be like if they could have it…they began to dream about how the things around them were made._

_Why…why was life the way it was?_

_People still ask that question all the time._

_And I would come to ask that question when the incident occurred._

_I guess…you could say…we saw it coming. It wasn't too much of a surprise._

_There are always signs that a child is going to be…special. But we didn't know that the children that were born would have to go through this, and not from…not from him._

_But this is the way it worked out._

_And for better or for worse…we will have to endure it._

**AS THE WORLD BURNS**

**PROLOGUE  
**

* * *

A dark, dark room. No light, save for a single, flickering bulb. There was the vague outline of shapes lining the sides of the walls, but you had no real idea what was inside this room. You could feel from the draft, and hear by the echo of your own breath that it was big…enormous even.

Then the light switch went on, revealing it in all it's glory…a laboratory. Capsules lined up and down the walls to the left and right, with a large computer console and viewscreen attached to the computer. A keyboard was placed by the console with a blinking green light at the top of the viewscreen broadcasting that the computer was, in fact, on.

The walls were dark steel with, interestingly enough, a nice carpeting of ivory. There were several smaller computers to the sides of the various capsules that had different…things…floating in them. It was hard to tell what they were. They looked almost like people…like they had, at one point, been people would be a better term. Science had twisted and raped their bodies into disgusting abominations.

There were tables littered around the laboratory, with a large circular table at the far front end of the room. To the right were countertops that had jars at the top containing odd…things. Yes, it was hard to tell what the stuff in these jars and capsules were. One looked like a pickled frog, it's body bloated as if it had been in the sun for three days. Another looked like a pig fetus. Yet another appeared to be the human brain…a fat and squishy brain at that.

Behind the table was the experiment that the doctor had been called to see. The doctor turned his head to look at the experiment's husband, frowning slightly as he placed his thick-gloved hands together. Genuine concern was in his large, maroon eyes as he looked at the husband, his black antennae quivered and lowered.

"She looks more stressed than you described her. Are you CERTAIN she's in a good enough-"

"My mental state is none of your business, but for the record tubby…it's FINE." The experiment snapped. She adjusted the goggles off of her eyes, putting the welding tool she'd been using on her latest project to the side after turning it off. "We heard you were the best for this thing…"

The doctor simply sighed. "I do what I can with what I can. What is it you need my assistance with, Dr. Jookiba?"

"The problem is that I happen to be…be…" She quivered slightly, then bit her lip, her golden eyes closing slowly before she answered. "…unable to conceive. We have tried very hard, but...there are no drugs that have helped. And in-vitro fertilization is a process that neither I nor my husband have experience in." Dr. Jookiba informed the Irken doctor.

Dr. Skoodge rubbed his chin. "Well…alright. Sit down, both of you. I'll explain the process." The experiment and her husband sat down at the table as the doctor rubbed his gloved claws. "In-vitro or the "test tube method", is simple. I'll give you a drug that will be injected into your body that will cause you to drop multiple eggs." He informed the female experiment.

"Would there be any side effects?" The husband demanded to know.

"It MIGHT make your wife act…irrational."

"Dooky! I'm not scared of that!" The husband laughed. "Now go on, go on." He asked, waving his gloved, clawed hands, asking for Dr. Skoodge to continue.

The doctor placed his claws together and nodded. "You see, at ovulation, instead of doing an insemination we'll harvest the legs and fertilize them in a lab. The embryos shall then be placed within the lining of your uterus and then you'll carry them to term like any other mother." He informed them.

"This procedure sounds…rather sinister." The husband spoke. "…I like it." He added, grinning a zipper-toothed grin.

Dr. Skoodge nodded. "Alright." He told them both. "But you must understand that for this procedure to work…I'll need a blood sample from you." He said, nodding at the husband. "That way I can get the DNA needed to fertilize the egg. I'd normally use sperm, but unfortunately the equipment at my lab that would allow for the sperm to be used was totaled in a microwave burrito accident." He nervously blushed, his cheeks turning dark green. "So…"

He recomposed himself and then pulled out a small hypodermic needle, handing it to the husband. "Go ahead."

"Finally…the glorious moment has come when, at long last, I shall be able to have a child of my own!" The husband proclaimed. He smiled evilly as he held the needle up into the air and it glinted in the light of the laboratory. "And soon our shall rain DOOM down upon all of their inferior heads!"

…

…

…

… "Can you believe it?"

It was an alien rodent that had almost rabbit-like ears, a pink nose and a body that resembled a gerbil…or rather, a hamster. He had red eyes and a long tail with a light brown, fairly large tuft at the end and he wore a doctor's coat.

Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel was his name, and he was speaking with his beloved wife, Ariel. "I'm going to deliver a baby. I've…I've never done this before." He admitted sheepishly.

Ariel was a female experiment who closely resembled her mother, Angel. She had white fur though, with no "v" insignia on her chest and above all…heterochromia. One eye was red, the other blue. She, thankfully, had little physical resemblance to her father, Leroy, who had raped Angel, thus producing HER.

Ariel had her son sitting next to her as Rupert addressed her in his office. Junior von Hamsterviel, as they'd named him, resembled his father in head shape and tail-wise, though his general form was more experimental. Most interesting were his eyes, like his mothers, were red and blue respectively…or rather, blue and RED.

They were inside of West Kauai Clinic. The walls were painted white, as were the floors, a stark contrast to the sky blue of Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel's office. The doctor had to get to work soon…a patient of his, Bellatrix, daughter of 627, Legion and the experiment Belle, was going into labor.

"You'll do fine." Ariel wrote down on a notepad she had with her, showing it to her husband. She couldn't really speak, she'd been a mute most of her life. Thinking a little, the beautiful Ariel tapped the pencil in her paw/hand to her lip, then wrote some more. "Just think…they're going to have a son or daughter soon."

Yes, neither Jude nor Bellatrix hadn't decided to find out the sex of the baby…Jude was just glad that the "In vitro" process had worked for them too. He was a choir boy training to be a priest like his father had been at one point, he wasn't allowed to actually have sex, which, according to Legion, was true blasphemy.

"Alright…" Rupert nodded. "I'd best get a move on."

He walked out the office after patting his son Junior on the head, who looked up from his book "My Pet Goat" and smiled broadly.

…Bellatrix was like a living loudspeaker. With her and her mom, you didn't have to set an alarm…just point her at somebody's house and she'd wake you up with a yell no matter how far away you were! She had her father's body form, but her mother's turquoise fur, yellow stripes on her arms and, most importantly, a LARGE mouth.

Her husband was holding her hand as he looked into her eyes. His eyes were, to put it simply, beautiful and entrancing. He had a fox-like tail, angelic wings and hair that fell neatly down at the top of his head, shortly cut. His chest was furry like a lamb's, and his body had a shimmering, almost opaque look due to him being crystalline in color. His father, Page, had also had a child born in this manner, having been given permission by the Pope.

Soon Page and Crystallene would be grandparents, Dr. Rupert realized as he stepped inside the room. Bellatrix had a slightly dazed look in her eyes and she was smiling in a fashion that made those lookin on wonder if she'd been hit in the face.

"Let's name it Lasagna." She remarked dreamily.

"…the child is not going to be named Lasagna." Jude said gently. "Remember?" He squeezed her hand again.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Rupert asked gently, smiling. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Jude…"

…

…

…

…it was a girl.

"A beautiful baby girl"

"Ooo-ull aybee url!"

…and they named her Echo on the spot.

…

…

…

… "Well, c'mon! Get it outta yer system! I screw up everything else…this has gotta be MY fault somehow! Say it! I'm the cause of everything bad in the universe and now…I BRING YOU RAAAAIN!" He yelled, holding up his paws. "C'mon! Get it out!"

"I'm…having…THE BABY!" She yelled.

"…oh. OH."

The rain poured down heavily as the bear-like, tubby experiment with brown fur nervously looked around, holding his groaning, moaning wife in his arms. His brown fur was soaked with rain and his small, stubby ears were pressed against his head, his small black eyes looking down at Bonnie with genuine loving concern. Bonnie was undergoing the pains of childbirth, her pale green fur even paler than normal, her beautiful blue eyes squeezed shut in pain. Her yellow/white-furred chest rose up and down as she gasped in pain and the rain continued to "pluk-pluk-pluk" down onto her husband and her.

"H…hurts…" She gasped out. It was like her lower body was tightening up, like she was being squeezed dry and something had to come out and SOON…

They were never gonna reach the hospital in time. Their car was wrecked, Clyde had driven it home in a hurry after Bonnie had called him up, telling him the news…Thunderbirds were go, folks. But now she couldn't move her body, save for twitching in pain.

"I…I never thought…never thought it would happen like this…" Bonnie gasped out. "It…it HUUUUURTS…" She wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I…I can't believe I'm having the babyyyyyyyy!"

Clyde was frightened. What was he supposed to do? He had to help her…he had to make her feel better.

"How can we do this? We're thieves…and we keep fighting…we've been fighting ever since Grendella and Sandy started dating…we've been disagreeing all the time. We have to figure out some way to FIX this."

"Bonnie…yer gonna git through this." He insisted. "I promise. I love you."

"I don't just mean our hard times…we have to think of…think of some way to respark our love. I…" She clenched her fists. "I want you to tell me seven reasons why you love me! Right NOW!" She gasped out. "And I better believe it!"

"I…I'd love to say why I love you."

She opened her eyes up. "I…I love you too, Clyde…" She said in her Chicago accent, her blue eyes twinkling as the rain continued to pour down.

"I love the way you wake up in the morning and after you shower, you smell of raspberries!" Clyde yelled as the rain came down harder, thunder crackling as lightning split the sky, the wind blowing stinging drops against his face.

"I love the fact that when you hug me tightly, I squeak a little!" Bonnie yelled back.

"I love how you sing "Katrina and the Waves" songs in the shower!"

"I love the way you suck in your gut whenever I walk into the room!"

"I love the way your forehead wrinkles up when you get worried!"

"I love the fact that you stole that beautiful crystal chandelier for my birthday because you knew how much I always wanted one!"

"I love your eyes!"

"I love your smile!"

"I love the fact that you keep me focused…how you're always my voice of reason!"

"I love how you keep me happy…you know how to make me smile when I'm feeling awful!"

"I love that nothing in my life has been complete until I've shared it with you!"

"I love everything about you…"

Two pairs of eyes looked right at each other. One black. One blue.

"And I couldn't have asked for a better partner!"

…

…

…

…Skoodge was hard at work in his own office which, conveniently, was also inside of the West Kauai Clinic. Within a secret room that had an elevator running from it to his main office stood a large tank that had bubbles rising up and down in a blue liquid…the floating objects inside of this liquid were eggs, and they were about to be fertilized once Skoodge had taken the DNA sample from the blood donation he'd obtained and converted it into an injection that would-

Uh oh. Problem. Skoodge looked over the various jars that lined up and down the large countertop he had in the room which was across from the tank. The labels…he'd forgotten to label five of them. Which one of the blood samples was the one he wanted?

Think, Skoodge thought as the light flickered off again, reminding him that he needed to pay the electrical bill for the room. He's an Irken like me. Our blood is green, like THIS sample!

He reached out and grabbed the sample, smiling as the light stayed off. Then he took the sample and placed it in a small, mixer-like machine which began to convert it into a glowing grey substance which would then fertilize the eggs. With that finished, the light turned back on and he took the fertilization sample, placing it into the control panel of the tank and fertilizing the eggs. He watched as one of them was penetrated and nodded in satisfaction, turning around after pressing the "release" button.

The eggs were deposited in a jar and would later be placed within his patient's uterus so that she could give birth in time. But that wasn't what he was thinking of now. What he noticed…was that there was ANOTHER blood sample that was green on the countertop.

There'd been two…

Who else had had green…

HADN'T it been green blood he'd just used? He was sure of it…

…

…

…

…She groaned as she looked at the flavors for the Icee machine. Strarospheric Strawberry Slime? Rockin Hard Raspberry? Blue Berry Blitz? Lemon Lime Lollapalooza?

"Need some help choosing?"

She turned her head to see him. Grey fur, with a very furry light grey chest and stomach. He had un-retractable thick black claws, and black taloned feet. There were black eyes with shades of green tint at the bottom, and a vaguely pig-like, gumdrop-shaped nose in the center of his face, with long ears hanging down. He had brown hair with thick locks, brushed back like a mane, and he wore no shirt…only tie-dye pants and a necklace with a blue mood orb at the end of it.

"Something's bothering you." Grey Nicholas Pelekai said gently. When he spoke, there was a faint, slight growl, with an underlying hint of melody in his voice. His voice slightly reminded her of that singer, Jesse McCartney. "Every time you come into my convenience store it's ALWAYS to get an Icee and it's ALWAYS because something has upset you. You angry at Angel again?"

"SLUT." She hissed under her breath. "Him AND her…but no, I'm worried about something else. I'm…I'm late."

"Eh?"

"…I'm LATE." She informed Grey.

"…OH." His eyes went wide, eyebrows shooting up. "I see. You mean you're pregnant? Got a bun in the oven?" He joked.

"Ha-ha. It's…it's serious business." She insisted. "And I don't know what I'm going to do. I mean…it's a test tube baby and there's this problem, and…" She held her paws to her head and took a long, deep sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Any kid you have is going to be a love child because you're going to love it." Grey said sagely.

"Angel made it look so easy when SHE gave birth to Sandy." She mumbled, looking down at the squeaky white floors of the convenience store, turning her back to the Icee machine to face an aisle with doughnuts, bread and other similar products.

"Aw, c'mon!" Grey laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "Angel's a solid 8, but you've got those beautiful eyes going for you…and you're funny and witty and SMART. Kila, you're an 8 and a half!" He insisted.

Kila looked up, looking slightly skeptical.

"Nine when you smile." Grey added with a small smile…a sincere one.

"…thanks." Kila said. "I…I don't think I'll abort it. I'm keeping it." She patted her womb where her child was growing even now. "In a few months…I'm gonna be a mom." She blinked a few times. "Wow. I can't believe it. A mom. Me…"

…

…

…

…a new child for Bonnie and Clyde. Everyone was interested in seeing the new boy that had been brought into the world.

As the brown-haired youth gently brushed the lock of hair at the top of the child's hair away to look into its eyes, his eyes went wide.

"He's got purple eyes." Nicholas Michael Grey whispered quietly.

"…God help him…" Grey thought, hand flying to his mouth.

"What did you name him?" The girl asked. Her long black hair fell down the back of her red and white flowery muumuu as she blinked her brown eyes.

"We named him Jack, Lilo." Bonnie informed her as more people clambered into the living room of Bonnie and Clyde's house. "Jack…"

Jack blinked his purple eyes, his frail-looking, light-green-furred body quivering with a mixture of excitement and joy as he looked at all the people around him.

…

…

…

…the clouds moved over Kauai, slow and steady, drifting by to extinguish every path of blue. Bit by bit they let loose their cargo…white snowflakes.

"I'm a reasonable person, godfather…so I know this can't be snow." Jack mumbled. He had teal patches on his arms and legs like his mother did, and stubby antennae like his father, with stubby ears to match. His dark purple eyes were slightly bloodshot at the bottom, the tinge surging up slightly as he walked towards the car.

"Don't worry…it never sticks." Grey laughed, patting his head gently as Jack hobbled his way into the car with his cane. After Jack had put his seatbelt on, it was time to head out. School awaited.

**BGM: Rock Island, 1931, by Thomas Newman**

As the snow fell down to the streets below, Grey drove the Lincoln with calm precision as Jack sat in the backseat along, with Grey turning the news off and allowing the calm silence to fill his large ears.

The snow fell down in thick, lazily-floating flakes as the cars ambled down the street. Jack could make out other people through the snowfall, but their features were muddled…some were blobs of fat, others were simply fleshy sticks. Different-colored people all making their way to jobs or, like him, to school.

As the car stopped at the light, Grey looked up and breathed a long, deep sigh. He hadn't heard from Kila in a long time…years, in fact. 3 months after he'd had that conversation with her…she'd dropped off the radar, as had her husband. Whispered rumors, none of which sounded REMOTELY true, were all he heard.

The light turned green and the Lincoln continued to make it's way through the slightly slushy streets, reaching the school after a long drive. Once a memorial to those who had lost their lives in an invasion caused by Leroy, now it had been put to proper use, doing what it was meant to be doing…molding young minds.

As Grey pulled up to the large, light-brown-painted building's parking lot, getting as close as he could to the door, he parked the car and helped Jack out. It was December 19th, and Kokaua Town Middle School was waiting for them. A large globe at the front of the building, handcrafted out of crystal by Crystallene herself greeted newcomers as people filed into the building.

The white stairways were exposed by large windows, and Grey now led Jack up one of those staircases to the second floor, where Jack's homeroom and first period class was…room 241. This was where he taught. Opening up the multi-colored door that gave away to all that it was HIS room.

Grey smiled and nodded to Jack as Jack stepped inside, the first student there. Then Grey took his place behind the desk as the other students began to pile in. Now 80 years old but not looking a day older to prove it, Grey was glad he had the chance to teach Hawaiian to the students.

The bell rang to symbolize how the students needed to get into their rooms and Grey went to the looooong windows, placing one clawed hand against the pane, breathing on it to fog it up slightly as he saw the flakes continue to fall outside.

The day was beginning, he thought to himself as his students began to pile inside.

It was time to get to work. He turned around and grinned broadly as the second bell rang. "Roll call!" He announced enthusiastically. "Echo Koʻokoʻo!"

"Echo present 'n accounted for!"

"Junior Von Hamsterviel!"

"Present!"

"Jack Aihue!"

"Here."

"Heartwing Kō'ao!"

"I'm here!"

"Charlie Richard Kennedy!"

"I'm here!"

Grey smiled broadly. "Alright class…let's get started, shall we?"

(Music comes to an end)


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

A fat, purple body…four eyes, yellow with black pupils. Three thin strands of hair at the top of his head. This was Jumba Jookiba, a Qwinta Qweltian dedicated to SCIENCE. And he had a lot to teach today!

He stood within an "Islamic Green" painted room that had a large blackboard at the end of the room, with posters up around the wall of famous scientists like Newtwon, Einstein…and him. In fact, there were a LOT of posters of himself, the only thing bigger than his gut was his ego.

Jumba tapped on the chalk board with his pointer stick. "And now we shall go over how to reattach a retina. The procedure involves making small incisions into the wall of the eye, to allow the introduction of instruments into the vitreous cavity. The draining of the vitreous, the clear, gel-like fluid that fills the BACK of the eye, is then-"

Jack let out a long sigh inside of his head as he looked at Jumba, amazed at how annoying his accent was. Was it Russian? Jewish? He hoped not Jewish, he thought, adjusting the collar on his indigo button-up outfit. It was SLIGHTLY scratchy, and it didn't look too well with his brown loafer-like shoes that he was wearing, but he tried to maintain a good appearance. He'd brushed the hair at the top of his head **exactly** ten times to get it down.

Next to him was Echo. She was Bellatrix and Jude's daughter. She resembled her grandma slightly in head shape, only she had her father's hairstyle and furry, lamb-haired chest. She had two ponytail-like antennae, fox-like ears and the tail of her grandmother. Yellow stripes were on her arms, and her eyes…they were as beautiful as her father's. She was taking full use of the lack of dress code in the school and wearing nothing at all.

_**Nothin' at all…NOTHIN' AT ALL!**_

Jack bit his lip and tried not to think back to that mental flash he'd seen, but now the image of his Dad in a skimpy pink outfit wouldn't get out of his mind. "Aw, guts and gore." He swore under his breath.

He briefly wondered what it would be like if those eyes were looking at him from a mason jar, like something from a horror movie. THAT would be spooky.

"So who can tell me the Latin for "eye"?" Jumba inquired of the class. "Eh…Junior!" He pointed with one large, sausage finger at the rabbit-like experiment who had his arm raised up high.

"Oculus!"

"Good, good. Is good you were paying attention." Jumba said, adding a few wrinkles to his face as he smiled.

Jack frowned as he folded his arms, and tried to suppress his fantasy of beating Junior to the ground again. That was all it ever WOULD be…a fantasy. He'd never have the strength to even hold Junior down, not even if he tried to work out. He had muscular dystrophy…it was painful for him to walk. If he even tried to punch someone, HE'D get more hurt than they would.

Junior always seemed to show off. Like he knew better than anyone. And it was no small secret WHY he was that way, his dad, the famous Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, and his mother, Ariel Mākaia, the bastard daughter of Leroy, had keen minds…both of them. Hamsterviel was a brilliant scientist and doctor, Ariel was a spirited and intelligent albino with heterochromia, like Junior was.

Junior was well-liked because he was also sweet and knowledgeable. He had EVERYTHING going for him. He'd even worked out what he wanted to be…a senator of the United States.

Jack wasn't sure what he wanted. Perhaps he'd be a writer. Yeah…that sounded fun!

He enjoyed writing and sharing his stories with Grey, his godfather. Grey always loved to hear what new thriller or drama Jack had cooked up.

He was already hard at work at his new short story, "Murder at the McDonalds"…

**JUNIOR**

_Oh boy, I was nervous._

_I always get a bit hot when Jumba calls on me. I guess I want him to think of me as a good student. I wanna do well in this class!_

_It's almost over though. Next will be music class…I wonder what teach will have us be doing?_

…

…

…

…A beautiful face. Long purple hair and eyes to match. No shirt, only baggy pants and sandals. The human held his arms up and Mikhail Yenta Rosenberg, or Myr as he was commonly known, began to wave his arms to conduct the class. All of them had lined up on stands and were facing him as he grinned, the purple, upside-down triangles on his cheeks popping on his perfect skin.

"And a one…a two…a one, two, three four!" He called out.

"Candy Maaaan!" The second row sang out.

"Doo, doo, doo, doo!" The third and fourth row harmonized.

"Hey, Candy Maaaaan!" The second row sang again.

"Who can take a sunriiiiiise?" Echo sang out, spreading her arms wide from the first row. "Sprinkle it with deeeeww? Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two?"

"Candy Maaaaan!"

"The Candy Man can!"

"The Candy Man can, cuz he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!" Everyone sang.

Echo got down on one knee, spreading out her arms again and grinning. "The Candy Man makes…everything he bakes…satisfying and delicious!" She spun around, her antennae twirling as she spread one arm out to the top of the top row, face glowing. "Talk about your childhood wisheeeees! You can even eat the DISHES!"

"Ba-ba, ba-baaaa!" The third and fourth row harmonized. "Ba-ba, ba-baaaaa!"

Myr then raised his hands higher and nodded, and everyone leapt off the stands, twirling around and then flourishing right at a center point, as Echo hovered up into the air, smiling broadly. She was about to sing the next line when an announcement occurred on the loudspeaker system.

"ATTENTION. ATTENTION. WE HAVE A CODE BETA. PLEASE EXIT THE BUILDING IN A CALM AND ORDERLY MANNER."

Myr frowned. "A freaking bomb scare AGAIN? Who is it THIS time?" He mumbled. "_Oy gevalt_…"

The door opened and a teal experiment with purple isosceles triangles on a pair of cheeks appeared, purple eyeshadow on the eyes and four long spikes of hair sticking out at the top of the head. Two tails had spikes rising up from them and the experiment had decorative ears with purple tips…this was Nacht, an asexual experiment who happened to be roommates with Myr and who worked for the school in the science lab.

"Come on, get them all moving. It's nothing that they can't take care of, but he might make it difficult…"

Myr frowned and Junior groaned inwardly. The rabbit-like experiment knew what this meant…Spectra, the spookiest janitor in the history of ANYWHERE, had an annoying and disturbed habit of threatening terrible vengeance down on those who wronged her…usually quick-to-react trio of Grey, Legion and Ashton, the Hawaiian, Sex Education and Psychology teachers respectfully, were always good at stopping her when moments like this happened.

They all headed out into the hallways and made their way out the front doors of the school. Now all of the kids and most of the teachers were out in the parking lot, all trying not to let the cold and the falling snow get to them. Junior noticed that Jack was shivering and he patted Jack on the shoulder. "Don't worry Jack, we'll be back inside soon." He encouraged Jack.

Jack gave him a pained look, like he was trying not to vomit, then managed a small smile. "Th-thanks…" He mumbled.

Junior nodded right back. "No problem, really!"

Those with the best hearing could hear Spectra's shouting. "I was just tryin' to SCARE them!"

"So THAT'S why you went onto Newgrounds and said you were gonna burn the school down to the ground?"

"We keep telling you, you can't bring PETROL into the school! Except for the bonfire, remember?"

"Grey is MAAAAAD." Junior realized out loud.

Then there was a loud BANG and they saw Spectra was making a…well, a hover for it, her black, orb-like form soaring through the air as her eyes narrowed, glowing eerily. The orange-furred, cone-headed 627 popped out from the doorway, pointing a black claw at her and focusing. A telekinetic blast sent her flying right towards the students, who gasped…

"FWOOOOOOH." Nacht calmly breathed out a long breath, and suddenly silvery wisps wrapped around Spectra, pinning her to the ground. She struggled uselessly as Nacht calmly nodded at Myr, who looked down with pride at the nice wrapping job Nacht had done with his technique of being able to produce glass…she was wrapped up in thin strands of glassy substance that seemed tougher than a spider's web.

"Excellent job, my friend." Myr complimented. "Thank Yahweh for your g-"

"Don't call it "glassing"." Nacht insisted, tails quivering slightly with indignation as he frowned a bit. "DON'T."

**SANDY**

Sanders Pelekai, the son of Stitch and Angel, smiled as he looked himself over in the mirror. A tuft of hair at the top of his blue-furred head, more so than his father. A good figure, a tiki necklace 'round his neck, a white v-shaped insignia on his chest and nice-looking sunglasses, which were now in his black as he blinked his black eyes.

Tonight was going to be a big night. He and Bonnie and Clyde's first child, their daughter Grendella, were a COUPLE now. It had taken some…time…to get them to open up to the idea. Especially considering that he'd…essentially given her a fatal blow.

It had been a dark time in the past. The younger generation had not known of the existence of Grendella. She'd been an unfortunate accident…a result of Jumba attempting to give Bonnie and Clyde a child. Due to a deliberate sabotage, their child had ended up a monster. Nevertheless, Bonnie and Clyde had done all they could to love her and had tried, though mostly in vain, to help her learn the difference between a friend and an enemy.

The first time he'd seen her, she'd been a horror show freak and eventually he ended up tearing her arm off in a horrid lust of battle rage…

But now she was cute. Blue eyes. A small body, almost delicate. A spunky voice…the fact was, she resembled her mother quite a bit. And she and he were going out to a nice Italian restaurant that night. Spaghetti was a favorite of both of theirs…

Sanders had a good future ahead of him. Stitch was the ruler over the experimental population of Hawaii, which was in the majority due to an invasion by the Galactic Federation quite some time ago. It wasn't TOO big of a majority, but it was considerable. Furthermore, his people had the title "Experimental Americans" and were citizens of the United States, finally accepted into the world.

One day Sanders…or as everyone knew him, Sandy…would be the leader of all the experiments. And people knew he'd be a good one. A very good one.

"Okay…let's try this out." He took a long, deep breath and practiced the speech he intended to give to Grendella…it was going to be not just their twelfth date, but the night he proposed to her. "My dear G…you've been a source of great joy for me in these past few months. I want to tell you something important. You see, while I think the dress you're wearing is lovely…there's something I think you'd look even better in…"

He then held up a small black box and flipped the lid open, smiling at the mirror, imaging that her cute little face was staring back at him. "This. G…will you marry me?"

He then imitated her, putting the box down and placing one hand on his chest. "Oh Sandy…YES! Oh my God, YES!"

He grinned. "And then it's classic kiss!"

SMK! He kissed the air.

"Or sexy kiss!"

SCHMK! He kissed the air again.

"Or SLUTTY kiss." He stuck out his tongue and began to tongue-bang the air. "BLEAAH!"

He laughed and then deposited the ring in his dresser drawer as he looked around the light brown room of his home, jumping on the bed and lying back on the thick white covers as he stared at the ceiling. He began to picture what it would be like to take over his dad's position…what it would be like to have a son of his own. The future…that was always in the back of his mind.

A knock at the door. He blinked and his head shot up as his dad appeared at the door along with Angel. "It's time, son. We've got to get going to the town meeting."

Nodding, Sandy slid off the bed and followed his mother and father out. Even after all these years, Angel was still beautiful, still pretty in pink, her long antennae trailing behind her as she walked with her husband Stitch, one blue-furred arm wrapped around her as he lovingly held her close.

Someday, he thought, that will be me and G.

**CHOPSUEY**

As the classical music played on a stereo in the background, a green-furred lookalike of Stitch grinned broadly, showing off his "dragon teeth". He had a white Mohawk and a chest and stomach to match, and he was facing down his daughter, Victoria inside of the yellow-painted kitchen of their large home.

Chopsuey Wuwalu and his wife, Carmen, had been overjoyed to hear that Victoria was going to be a mother. Victoria resembled her mother so much, although she had a wreath of cherries at the top of her head and white hair with a single fang poking out from the top of her mouth instead of a tutti-frutti hat. This meant pink fur and beautiful blue eyes…and, at the moment, a large tummy that her dad was showing off flashcards towards as Carmen watched from the side, mumbling something unintelligible in Spanish.

"Art! Mona Lisa was by Da Vinci! Science! The radio was built by Marconi! Math! Nine is the product of three and three! Natural History! Darwin said we all come from Monkeys! Buuuut…noooot…liiiiterallyyyyyy!" Chopsuey sang out, showing one flashcard after another.

"Dad, this is…annoying…" Frank remarked, walking into the kitchen past his mom. He was skinnier than his father and had green and white fur like his dad did, with white wavy hair and a fairly big nose. He worked on a farm that was run by Wendy Northcut Pleakley and thoroughly enjoyed the good honest work it brought. "I don't think it's actually helping him…" He mumbled, shrugging.

"I'm telling you, she's absorbing all the information inside the womb." Chopsuey insisted, grinning broadly and raising a black claw in the air. "Maria is going to be born a GENIUS!"

Chopsuey had been getting along better with Stitch ever since the two had become dads. They'd both worried about the future and had found they didn't have the courage to talk about how they felt with their wives.

But each other…that was different. And so, friendly rivals became devoted and loving brothers.

"What if it's a boy though?" Carmen asked. "Not that I mind either way, babe." She added in her cute Hispanic accent, laughing slightly.

"I'm going to name him Daniel." Victoria announced, pronouncing it like "Dan-yel". "Or maybe Che! Like Che Guevara!"

I know what you're all thinking. Who's the lucky man? It was none other than Hogan, the local automobile repairman for the town, and a master of the element of Metal. He, sadly, was freaking out. MAJORLY freaking out. It had happened accidentally but he'd done the gentlemanly thing and had agreed to marry Victoria so that the child wouldn't be a bastard. The problem was he was now frightened because he continued to have a vivid fantasy of her giving birth during their upcoming wedding ceremony…

Which, actually, wasn't that far-fetched an idea.

"I can't believe it." Chopsuey said happily. "I'm…I'm gonna be a grandfather."

**THE PAST…**

Kila nervously paced back and forth, her stomach considerably larger. She had this feeling…this cool chill that crept up her spine every once in a while and wouldn't go away…The Willies, it was called.

Something was bothering her soul. Something important. And she suspected, with a vague, nagging feeling…that it was the little "tadpole" that was in her womb. She was set to give birth any day now and there was one problem…

They hadn't picked a name.

Kila did NOT want her son to be named after her father Zim. Period. She wanted something more respectable. Something dignified.

She didn't like the name SHE had…Kilana. It meant SLAVE, a demeaning name. She wanted their child to have a beautiful name. "Jakina", "Lishari", "Shana"…those were good names!

But no, Zim wanted an Irken name. The two were now inside the lounge as Zim sat on a rounded cushiony chair that was quite large and the color purple…Zim liked the color purple a lot. Even the walls were a shade of light purple.

"It MUST be an Irken name! It must be mighty and proud!" Her husband insisted as a purple miniature moose with cute little nubs floated in the air above him.

"I'm all for the "mighty and proud" thing, but we are NOT naming him ZERINIM 2." Kila snapped as a grey robot with light blue eyes and a big smile popped unpopped popcorn kernels into his mouth to the side.

"What about-" Zim began.

"Not Trivvik either." Kila stopped him with a look.

"Liirak!"

"No!"

"Movirek!"

"NO!"

"MRIAK!"

"N-O SPELLS"

"Arnor."

"…hmm…"

"Why not? It means "Honored Tall One"! It is a FINE name!" Zim insisted, standing up and placing his fists on his hips, brow furrowing.

Kila sighed as she turned away and folded her arms. "It's not the name's MEANING that I'm worried about, Zim. I want my son…or daughter…to have a JUKANI name!"

"You keep saying that but you aren't telling me WHY, Kilana." Zim said, annoying Kila by using her full, insulting name.

This got her to scowl, but then she recomposed herself. "Jumba and I don't get along, if my child has a Jukani name, he'll understand I have some respect for his heritage. I can't…" She took a long deep breath. "I can't stay angry at him forever…I have to mend the bridge somehow. This will help. He'd be so happy if I named him godfather."

"I am simply glad you will not name the dog-thing godfather of our child." Zim insisted. "He smells of Icees! CONSTANTLY!"

"Grey's a good friend." Kila remarked. "I want him not to be our godfather, but to be one of his guardians all the same." She nodded her head. "He's loyal. I can trust him to look after our child in the event something happens."

"Hmph." Zim frowned. "Well I'm going to contact Skoodge. I want to ask him if he checked the sex of the baby."

"He keeps telling me he DIDN'T-" Kila began.

"HE LIIIIIES!" Zim howled. Then he blinked and composed himself. "I'm callin' him up." He remarked calmly. And with that, he walked off, leaving Kila alone in the room. She groaned and looked around at the boxes labeled "Dooming Supplies" which were filled with various tools that Zim was planning on using to drill holes in dams and whatnot in another world conquest scheme.

"Oh sure, leave the 2 months and 4 weeks-old pregnant woman to lug all this crap to the elevator and into the lab…" Kila mumbled angrily. "HE'S the one who gets arrested for holding a hospital wing hostage with a spork and I'M the one who has to pay Bail."

She looked up at the "Bail Jar" at the top of the lounge fridge. It was completely empty, not merely because of Zim's "exploits", but because he kept taking money out of it to pay for snacky cakes. She let out a long groan…sometimes it was very hard to love him.

It was then that it happened. "AAA!" She yelled, a piercing shriek. GIR, bless his heart, immediately laughed.

"She's havin' a little squishy!" He called out. Zim immediately raced back inside the room and his eyes went wide as his face turned a brighter shade of green…he was going pale.

"Squeak!" Minimoose announced.

"What part of this looks like authorities should be involved you walkin' garbage can?" Kila gasped out to the moose, eyes narrowing.

Yes, when women were pregnant, they got what they called hormonal. Men called it being "Batshit insane".

"Call fatty-mc-fat-fat up!" She demanded of Zim. "AND DO IT NOW!" She shrieked.

…

…

…

…soon Kila was lying on a bed, a pink blanket on her as she growled angrily. "AAA! Friggin' contractions! It feels like he's biting my kidney!" She gasped.

"Calm down, Ms. Jookiba." Skoodge insisted. He'd moved Kila to his secret lab office and was understandably concerned about her. There had been something he'd not told Kila and Zim…there had been a SLIGHT mix up with the blood samples and-

"How many more hours am I gonna have to endure this?" Kila snapped as GIR stood to the side.

"Ooh, she's gonna pop a bun outta the oven!" GIR said happily, clapping his hands.

"Squeak!" Minimoose announced, which in his language was a comment on how pedestrian GIR's choice of language truly was.

"You're only three centimeters dilated. I think you've got four more hours at least…" Skoodge informed Kila.

Zim blinked…then his eyes narrowed. "NO. No, it is coming out right now!" He snarled.

"You try anything, you'll tire yourself out!" Skoodge insisted.

"GOOD! I like a challenge!" Kila said, gritting her teeth, her features scrunching up as she breathed heavily, pushing as hard as she could to force the child out. "Hah-hooh…hah-hooh…"

"You're only making things **worse**!" Skoodge insisted, shaking his head. "When it comes time to really push, you'll be all-oh…OH! OH, IRK!" He gasped in amazement.

"Kila, what are we gonna do?" Zim admitted softly, quietly. "I mean…do we really want to bring a child into what we're planning?"

"We'll figure something out, I mean…we LOVE each other." Kila insisted. "And how bad could our child be?"

A force…a quick SWOOSCHA and then a gentle "thump" as Skoodge held up the child, which he began to clean. "Well…here…" He said, handing it to Kila.

The first thing she noticed was the fur color…the second thing was the hair atop it's head…

"There was…a mix up…" Skoodge began as Zim quickly realized what Skoodge had done. "Your blood was accidentally-AAAAHHHKKK!"

Zim immediately began strangling Skoodge with one clawed, gloved hand while the other punched him in the face over and over, his face turning a dark shade of green as he prepared to begin a horrifically large verbal assault filled with swears.

GIR, meanwhile, laughed happily as Minimoose flew down to look at the baby. Climbing up onto the bed with Kila, GIR poked the baby in the head. "She's all squishy!"

Zim stopped punching a moment later. _"…she?"_ He thought.

He turned around and let go of Skoodge, who held his broken cheeks and moaned. Zim walked over to his wife as the child opened up it's black eyes, the green tint at the bottom twinkling as it stared at the people around it. "She's…she's beautiful…and…" He realized inside his head.

"Krini…" Kila remarked softly.

"Kreesh." Zim whispered.

"Ooh, you mean Green!" GIR said happily. "She sure is green!"

"That sounds like a good name." Skoodge said.

"_Green_." Kila said gently.

"…Green it is." Zim agreed.

PRESENT…

They students began to file back inside. Grey patted Spectra on the head, assuring her that she'd feel better after her husband Ace treated her to a drink at Ariel's Aerie that night. Then, for a brief moment…

A chill. A large chill. He was sure that somebody was watching him…

But when he looked around, he saw he was the only one still outside. He couldn't smell anybody else out here or HEAR anyone.

But he KNEW what he'd FELT. His family was spiritually sensitive. Somebody HAD been watching him. He frowned slightly and headed back inside the school to begin his Hawaiian lessons as a black pair of un-retractable claws raked down a tree from across the way, a pair of black eyes with a green tint at the bottom gazing intently at the school.

A squirrel who was slumbering away in the tree let out an "EEK" as the hand shot, punching a hole through the tree and grabbing it. After enjoying this snack, she picked her teeth with a claw and then calmly slunk off, a visible smirk on her face as she raised the communicator up to her mouth and whispered the message.

"I've found the school…and the person I look so much like. After years of searching I've found him at last. Ironic that it's on the same week THEY'LL be coming back for the meeting…"


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

"YAAAAAAAAAWWWWN!"

Rupert stretched his arms as he looked up at the ceiling in the pinkish/red room that was he and Ariel's bedroom. He was the first one up, lucky him…which meant he could look down at his slumbering wife and watch her sleep. She was so serene…her white fur rising up and down. He found himself entranced…unable to look away. He could do this for hours, just…watch her sleep.

But he had a job to do and he had to wake her and their son up. He gently nuzzled Ariel's cheek with his nose and whispered to her. "Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo…here comes the sun and I say…"

She blinked her eyes open, turning around.

"It's alright…" She whispered back, kissing him on the lips.

"Mornin'." He told her. "How about I make breakfast this time?"

…

…

…

…Junior rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat on the bus with Echo and Heartwing next to him. Charlie was sitting behind them, and the blond-haired, blue-eyed kid beamed happily as he poked his head up from the seat, looking down at them. "Watcha got packed for lunch? Grey made me peanut butter. One for me, and one for Pudge!"

"Because Pudge controls the weather." Heartwing explained again in his innocent voice, nodding his draconic head, green scales glinting beautifully.

"Right, right." Junior nodded. "I've got a Vegetable Gyro Wrap." He said proudly, holding up his bright red, vaguely triangular lunch box. "And Mom packed an apple juice with a cheese stick."

"Your parents are vegetarians?" Heartwing asked, the white heart insignia on his silver-scaled chest glowing. "I think that's cool!" He said happily.

Junior smiled. Experiment 421 and Charlie were the "little buddies" of everybody on the island. They were just so gosh darn CHEERFUL, and always interested in ANYTHING you were doing. They had this beautiful, simple purity about them, an innocence that made it hard for others to dislike them.

"Guess what I heard?" Echo asked in her "outside voice", which was almost totally indistinguishable from her "inside voice".** "Skulla is like, SOOOO PREGNAAAAANT-"**

WHOMPF! Junior quickly put his paw over her mouth. "Echo, please!"

"Sorry-sorry." Echo apologized. "It's supposed to be a secret 'n stuff."

"Who's the lucky man?" Jack asked, turning around in his seat to face them.

"Well I heard that she managed to sway the son of the King of Experiment Hell himself!" She bragged.

"Ooh, is he the one who sounds like Vic Monogna?" Gavrilo inquired, one eyebrow arched. He was the daughter of Spectra and Ace, and he had a dark red body with fairly large muscles. He had a slightly lanternesque jaw and a dazzling smile like his dad did, and he wore a black jacket with tight-fitting pants and gloves to match.

"TOTALLY!" Echo admitted, laughing.

"I like their daughter. She's cuuuuute." Patchricia spoke up. She was the daughter of the renowned experimental medic Heala and Dr. PL, who had had his soul placed within the body of one of his creations. She resembled Sample in body structure, only she had a big red cross patch on her eye, hence the name "Patch"-ricia. Everyone usually called her "Patch". Her body was indestructible, but her biggest power was being able to heal any wound simply by a laying of hands. "You know, for a little demonic experiment."

BRRRR! The yellow school bus came to a halt and everyone piled out. Class was set to begin. First period class on Thursday was, for them, going to be Hawaiian lessons.

…

…

…

…A dark green room with pictures of famous Hawaiians drawn on big canvases and stuck up with thumbtacks. A collage made from old Hawaiian shirts decorated the back. There were the letters of the Hawaiian language at the top of a blackboard and a big white desk with a computer that had a scanner hooked up to it, as well as a TV set to the side for days when they could watch videos.

Grey smiled as he watched the students all look at him and nodded. "Aloha kâkou!" He announced, which meant hello…but more so than that.

Aloha meant "May there be friendship or love between us". And Grey considered the people of Hawaii his _ohana_. There was ALWAYS friendship and love coming from his end.

_"Ke aloha nô!"_ The classroom announced right back. _Aloha _indeed!

_"Mahalo nui loa!"_ He proclaimed, thanking them. "As you know, it's important to we, your elders, that we help you learn the skills you'll need to have happy, good and successful lives. But as the saying goes, "all knowledge is not taught in one school". Now…in HAWAIIAN?"

_"A`ohe pau ka `ike i ka hâlau ho`okâhi!"_ The classroom repeated right back.

"Good, you remembered!" Grey clasped his hands together happily. "One learns from many sources! We're not just going to teach you here…life will teach you as well. And of course…I've been planning a field trip to New York City so that I can show you how other states celebrate the holiday of Christmas. Last year I did San Francisco, as you remember…and the year before that, we went to Sydney, courtesy of The Lord of the Dreamtime and Anzac's kind invitations."

"I really liked the sheep." Patch agreed. "Not so much the eating but the petting…"

"Yes, the Lord of the Dreamtime is a LITTLE weird." Grey admitted, nodding his head. "In any case, this year I've got a LOT of great places I plan to take you to, how many of you have seen the movie "Big", with Tom-"

"Heh-hem."

Grey turned his head to see none other than a human, specifically an albino with pink eyes, white hair and a very good complexion for his "type". He had a gold jacket, green and silver shoes and a white pair of pants. He wore silver, tip-less gloves with a large emerald embedded in the center of each glove, and had a belt with a pink diamond at the front.

"Principal White?" Grey remarked, always nervous about these sudden visits.

Michael White, or as he preferred to be called White, nodded. "I've got good news!" He announced. "You've got a new student. And if you find her HALF as interesting as I did, then this will be quite the school year. Class…" He stepped inside and gestured for whomever was in the hallway to the right to come inside. "Meet your new fellow pupil, Green."

She stepped inside.

"Hi Gr-EEE!"

Yep. Nobody finished that sentence. They all GAPED at the sight of this newcomer. Black eyes with a green tint at the bottom. Brown locks that fell back like a mane that were so very LONG as they fell down her back…large, round ears almost like a mouse…feet with three large black talons and a fairly large nose…and finally, green fur with a light grey chest and stomach that was kinda hairy…

Most noticeable was that she wore NO SHIRT. Only a pair of baggy, dark blue pants and a belt with a silver buckle at the front.

"Hi. I am Green!" She announced in a slightly melodically tone. Listening to her they could tell she was a bit on the dramatic side. She grinned, showing off sharp, thick, dagger-like teeth. "Allow me to give you ten reasons why every single one of you should stop looking at my C-cups."

She held her hands up. They HAD been in her pockets. Unfurling them one at a time, she showed off sharp black claws that were unretractable and very deadly-looking. The class IMMEDIATELY gulped and looked up at her eyes instead of her chest.

"That's better." She told them. Then she turned to look at Grey. "Hey."

"…" His mouth was so wide open, you could have fit a watermelon into it. "You're...you look…you…"

"Holy cow it's like somebody took you and turned you into a GIRL!" Echo announced. "And you make for one WEIRD-LOOKIN' chick."

"…what's your name?" Green asked Echo, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What's my name? Echo!" Echo said happily. "Echo Koʻokoʻo!"

"You're the granddaughter of the sex pervert and the "experimental alarm clock" and the daughter of the choir boy and Miss Scratchy Bitch." Green realized out loud. Echo's smile immediately faded from her face. Green grinned. "You're LOUD…I like that."

Echo then blinked. "…really?"

"YES! Of course!" Green laughed. "So where do I sit, Mr. Pelekai?"

"…er…uh…anywhere you want…" Grey said, gesturing out at the other students. Green smiled and then took up a seat right next to Heartwing. Blinking slowly, Grey finally let out a long sigh.

"Okay…uh…let's continue with the lessons." He commented.

This couldn't be happening, he thought. HOW was this possible? He'd never HAD a girlfriend! He had not had sex ONCE! He was an 80 year old virgin, and even by experimental standards that was saying something! Even his prudish DAD had done it at least ONCE, that was how HE came to be!

How…how was this possible? Was this…was this truly his daughter?

"Er…uh…well, I suppose it's time we covered names. There are many different names that all of you have. Green, for example…your name, in Hawaiian, would be ma`o…or rather…" He rubbed his chin. "With your shading…Uliuli, the color of vegetation. My name in Hawaiian is Ahinahina. Echo, in Hawaiian, your name is Kūpinaʻi, Jack, for you, it's Keaka, Junior, yours isʻŌpio…"

…

…

…

…at the beginning of their next class, their instructor looked Green over and squeaked his red nose. "HOO! You Grey's kid? Did he finally pop the cherry?" He asked. He had a double-ended jester's cap with jingly silver bells and two ponytails tied from the back of his head. He had light green fur and a white belly, and a very big smile. He was Hyena, son of Elastico and "The Amazing Trucy Grimoire".

"No, I am NOT his child. My parents will appear in the Parent-Teacher Conference tonight." Green remarked. "They're back from business out in space."

"Are they astronauts? We were wondering-" Jack inquired.

"No. They happen to be scientists for Star Command."

IMMEDIATELY everybody's eyes went wide. Scientists for Star Command itself! THAT was an honor among honors. Being a scientist for the Galaxy Police or for the Galactic Federal Alliance was a highly sought-after job.

"Well…science hasn't got any place in what I'M about to show ya!" Hyena laughed, flipping through the air and landing on his blue and pink-painted desk. There were splotches of color all around the room…obviously he'd painted the place himself. Furthermore, there was a big chandelier at the far end of the room, away from the others. "You all know that Experimental Americans are in the majority when it comes to population of the island of Hawaii. Whatcha might NOT know is the development of the study of magic."

Green blinked a few times, as if confused. "…magic?"

"Yes, magic!" Hyena grinned. "For the last 10 years we've seen an EXPLOSION of magical power emerge in humans. In fact, three out of every 8 humans has highly skilled magical ability, with two of THOSE humans being at least partly skilled. Neato, huh?"

"And you know magic?" Green inquired.

"Specifically, the element of GRAVITY." Hyena informed her, jumping atop his desk and spreading his paws wide. "Behold!"

He hovered in the air above the desk, an orange glow about him. The students all smiled, they LOVED this trick. Green's mouth formed a perfect "o" of surprise at the sight of this.

But Hyena wasn't done! "Gravity, you see, is usually thought of as a rule that you cannot avoid. You can't see it, but that doesn't mean it's not there. Well with the Gravity element, you can master it's power…you can defy it…and put it to your own…ADVANTAGE!"

With that last word, he pointed at the chandelier behind them all and an orange hue surrounded it, sending it CRASHING to the ground with a tinkling CHINKA-CHUDDA noise. Green immediately jumped slightly in her seat, eyes bugging out as Hyena cackled madly, proving he lived up to his namesake.

"Hee-hee-hee-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, I LIVE for that look on their faces when the newbies come in and see my power put to use. And ain't it a lovely sound?" He added, smiling broadly. "Now…" He clasped his hands together. "In this class, I shall endeavor to teach you everything I can about not only the element of Gravity but also about physics. Let's begin with Ohm's Law…"

…

…

…

…and so the question on all of the teacher's minds that night was…who were the parents of the new student, Green?

Inside of the large gym, balloons of many different colors and lots and lots of streamers were stretched across the room. The walls were painted a light brown with long light fixtures at the top and Principal White was welcoming in various students and their parents, a big smile on his features. For some reason, he never cried…and there was always an air of smugness around him that was present in his eyes.

Yet…he was AMAZINGLY charming.

"Why welcome back, Legion! Belle! Good to see you!"

"Say, uh…I need some ADVICE about…"

"Here." White pulled Legion close and whispered VERY quietly in his ear.

"…ah…ah-huh…keep doin' that for ten minutes? Alright." Legion then grinned happily and shook White's hand VERY eagerly before heading over to the drink table as White welcomed Victoria in.

"Victoria! How have you been doing?" He asked eagerly, hugging her. "And this…" He knelt down to look at her stomach. "Must be the little woman. Or man?"

"We don't know the sex yet. But si, si, it is!" Victoria agreed.

"Well no drinks for you." White insisted.

"**I** can drink!" Hogan said, his big, burly form looking very proud, his yellow mustache quivering with anticipation. He had perfect peach marble skin and was one of the few people who made a moustache/beard combo look good on an experiment. With his golden hair he looked like a lumberjack GOD. "Want me to get you a lemonade?" He asked as he led Victoria over to a chair for her to sit down at.

"Pink please." Victoria requested.

It was then that SHE appeared…Dr. Kilana Ann Jookiba and Green. White immediately smiled. "Why Kila, I haven't seen you in MONTHS! Not since Summer, actually. Star Command's not mad about that whole "holding up traffic" thing, are they?"

"You held up FIVE TANKERS and drained them of all their uburnium." Kila remarked. "And yes. BUT I respect that amount of effort." She added with a wise nod. "High five!"

She held her paw up and White slapped it. "Nice! So Green is your daughter, obviously." White commented, rubbing his hands together as Green folded her arms. "Who's the lucky man?"

"Ah-HEM."

White blinked in surprise as HE stepped into view and he smiled broadly, grinning in an evil fashion. "Hello…_Zerinim_."

"_Michael_." Zim said with just as much suppressed bile. "So how have you been doing in finding Kelsey?"

"Oh, I've not found her address." White said coldly. "But I surfed the internet and found some interesting pictures. She seems to have gotten over her fear of meeting new people."

"I'm glad somebody like you is here to add some COLOR to these monochromatic proceedings." Zim snapped.

"Well I'm glad that you could visit us. Being a scientist at Star Command must be very hard…I'm glad they snatched you up though, people like you are in…SHORT…supply? So…how has Lady Miyuki been doing lately?"

"Why, I'm afraid I haven't seen her in ages. Although I'm sure she's no doubt happy with her mate, getting her FREAK on."

"Yeah, well, I understand that it might be hard for somebody of your STATURE to keep track of certain old flames. Well by all means I hope your stay…is a **pleasant**" one…" White said darkly, almost breaking Zim's hand as he held it tightly.

"Oh, the pleasure is **mine**"…" Zim hissed back, taking his gloved, clawed right hand and squeezing White just as White was squeezing him.

"Bored. Getting soda." Green announced, walking off. Zim let go of White and smiled a little at this. Already seeking out sugary treats at a big, fancy occasion? Yes, truly she was his daughter.

_"I don't get it."_ Grey thought to himself._ "How did SHE fall for…for HIM? She's taller than he is and smarter and prettier!"_

Different races had different ways of attracting females. On Vort, physical attraction usually came after sizing up horn size…the larger the better for both males and females. Among Irkens, eyes and antennae were what mattered…the "gateway to the soul" had to be alluring and perhaps THAT was what had attracted Zim to her…Kila's golden/amber eyes were quite deep and lovely…and the hair atop her head that shot out in two thick antennae-like locks might have done it too: touching an Irken's antennae was a personal act…the feel of it helped one Irken find another one he liked.

And when it came to people from Earth, well, as the saying by women went, "Hair and shoes: they're all part of the ridiculous game of impressing men"!

And as men would put it, "Ironically, we're interested in the stuff in between".

So the chest or face or butt worked when it came to most Earthlings…experiments included.

Not seeing the pain that "Eye Man" Grey was enduring, Jude and Bellatrix were together with Page and Crystallene, talking not about love but about the upcoming birth that Victoria was set to give. Hogan had wanted Jude to help with the baptism at Page's church and Jude was frankly VERY honored…but also nervous.

"I mean…THEY haven't even picked out a Baptismal name!"

"Isn't Maria one that counts? She was a saint too." Crystallene spoke up.

"…hmm…you're right. But the boy…" Jude rubbed his chin, thinking. "Oh, look…so KILA is Green's mother…"

Everyone in the room was now peering at Kila and Zim as they walked over to the drink table with Green, who was downing a "Mountain Dew" in her clawed hands…and she was looking over at Jack, who was talking with Spectra.

"You and I, we've got a lot in common with each other." He informed her. "We only hate people who wrong us. We…I mean, I…have been wronged." He said, placing his paw on his chest. "By a race."

"Oh NO, not again." Junior groaned as he looked across the gym and frowned, hearing Jack begin to speak.

"I'm telling you, the Jews are the source of every war on this planet. The Catholic Church is amazing for it's part in being co-responsible for the Holocaust and yet neither Jude nor Page will help me in my idea to institute a caste system law-"

"…I like drawing with crayons." Charlie remarked as he stood next to Gavrilo. "Especially BLUE."

"…Charlie, please go somewhere else." Gavrilo asked. "The adults are speaking."

Charlie nodded happily and walked off to go be with Heartwing. The little green dragon was looking at Zim…who was still shorter than he was.

"…"

"…"

Heartwing was smiling broadly, as usual, but Zim was surprised. "…why…are you grinning at me?"

"Your eyes are **cool**."

"…you show promise, dragon." Zim complimented, patting Heartwing on his head, ruffling the three long spiked curves that shot out from atop. "I am very pleased."

Green walked over to Jack and tapped him on the shoulder with one claw, making him wince and turn around in fear. "Y-yes?" He asked.

"…I don't like stuff like that." She announced. "My mother happens to respect different religions and I'd appreciate you not saying racist crud like that."

"Well it's a free country." Jack said.

Big mistake. Green promptly grabbed him by the throat and growled. "Let me make something CLEAR to you…you are NOT…GOING…TO SAY…THAT STUFF…AROUND ME."

Jack gulped as best he could. "I'll be good!" He squeaked out. "I swear!"

She grinned evilly and let go. "Good, glad we had this little-"

"Hey!"

She turned around to see Junior standing there. "Leave Jack alone! Yeah he's a jerk, but He's got muscular dystrophy so he can't defend himself!"

Green slowly, deliberately, blinked her eyes and then spoke in a soft, dangerous tone. "So you're sticking up for him, are you?"

"YES. I AM." Junior growled, standing up to her.

Stitch and Angel were with Sandy and Grendella, and they were watching as Jack quickly hobbled over to his parent's side, with Green and Junior facing each other down. Jack turned over to look at Sandy and frowned as Sandy shook his head disapprovingly. "What?"

"Jack, you've got to be the bigger man when it comes to stuff like this. One, don't let other people fight your battles. Two, I've told you that you shouldn't be speaking racist stuff like that. I know your mother and father feel the same way…well your dad, at least."

"I know…I know…" Jack mumbled as Sandy patted him on the head.

"You've got a bright future ahead of you as a writer, Jack." Sandy insisted. "You don't want to look back on your childhood and have race involved."

Jack's mother Bonnie seemed to support him no matter WHAT stupid stuff he did, like making an illegal radio station to broadcast messages that people should get rid of all the Mexicans, blame Clinton first, and the infamous "Fag drag" idea…and all under the alias of "Kid Rush".

Clyde frequently wondered what was WRONG with that boy.

Green grinned evilly. "So you must have some very interesting power to think you can defy me." She remarked. "Me…I'm strong. And…I do THIS." She held up her clawed hand and fire began to rise up in it. "Pyrokinesis."

Junior's long antennae suddenly snaked up above his head like serpents and he narrowed his eyes at her. "My prehensile antennae here happen to be QUITE strong. I think I could take you…and…and…"

Suddenly all turned still. It was about to be unleashed. The one threat that only the brave could utter at that age…

"And my dad could beat up your dad!"

GASPS all around from the kids as the adults turned their heads.

"Oh no he di-in't!" Patch laughed, holding one paw over her face and sniggering.

"Ha! My dad has been off training at a special muscle-building center!" Green bragged, slamming his fist on his chest. "Beneath that shirt lies a physique like that of…Arnold Schwarzenegger!"

"Oh YEAH?" fumed Junior.

"Oh YEAH!" said she.

"Oh YEAH?" He asked.

"Oh YEAH!" yelled she.

"Oh YEAH?"

"OH YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?"

"OH YEAH!"

"Oh YEAH?"

"OH YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?"

"OH YEAH!"

…truly this was a fine example of an intelligent conversation.

"Now, now, calm down, son." Rupert said, walking over to his son. "I'm not going to…"

"THIS is your father? You're a Muridean! A RODENT!" Zim remarked, walking over to look Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel over.

"…an **Irken**. LOCUSTS of the Universe. Why am I not surprised. And hello, Kila." Rupert said calmly.

Kila said absolutely nothing. Her feelings towards Rupert were complicated. Sometimes she felt the same way towards him that she did towards her husband…after all, the two had egos the size of weather balloons, enjoyed saying their own names, had pretty quick tempers and were both short.

She noticed Ariel and frowned slightly. She didn't like looking at Ariel because she reminded her so much of Angel, whom she didn't get along with. It wasn't personal, she felt bad upon hearing of what had happened to this poor beauty at such a young age, but whenever she looked at her, she just kept picturing the SLUT…

"I'm not going to resort to fisticuffs. I mean…aren't you…Liberal?" Zim remarked, laughing.

"Yes, and I didn't think that a corporate lemming like yourself could THROW a punch." Rupert sniggered.

"My daughter could kick your son's _c'hurta_ any day of the week you stupid GERBIL." Zim bragged.

It was then that Junior stepped forward and punched Zim across the face. He gasped and spat out a zipper-shaped tooth as he looked at Junior.

"Don't you DARE call my dad that!" He growled.

THWOCK! Suddenly GREEN punched Junior across the face and growled angrily. "You're going down, rabbit!"

"Bring it on, you TOAD!" Junior growled.

Green rushed forward, but suddenly Rupert slammed a right hook right into her face, making her reel slightly. But then she got her grip back and rushed forward, holding his head in an arm lock. He quickly jabbed with his elbow and knocked her away, and then the two took up fighting positions…

They rushed at each other again, fists held high, and both of their fists struck with a THA-THAPPA, making their heads fly back. They both hit the ground with a THA-THUNK and groaned in pain as Zim helped Green up and Rupert helped Junior up. The two dads looked ready to rumble themselves when salvation came in the form of tie-dyed pants.

"Hey, break it up." Grey growled as he stepped in between the two, baring his teeth.

"I have it under-"

"Stay out of this, dog-"

"I SAID, **BREAK IT UP**." Grey roared out. They all gulped and stepped back…his fur had stood on end and his eyes had glinted. He'd meant BUSINESS. All of the other people in the room went back to what they'd been doing before while the kids walked off, with Junior nervously biting his lip as he glanced around, noticing Green had vanished.

Then he was tapped on the shoulder and he turned around, seeing Green staring down at him. The students all looked at him and her, wondering if they were going to fight again.

"Don't worry Junior…if she breaks your legs, I'll patch ya up!" Patch offered happily.

Green let out a long, deep sigh and then spoke. "Haaaah. Alright. Here's the deal…sorry for before."

"What?" Junior blinked in confusion. Was the pain from his hurting jaw making him so dizzy he was hearing babbling coming from her mouth?

"I needed to see what kind of person you were. Now I know. I like you. From now on, we're friends." Green said, clasping her clawed hand on his shoulder and nodded, a big smile on her features.

And just like that, it was truth. They were friends.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Alright everyone, settle down!" Nick announced.

It was an important night. A very important night for everyone. As they sat in the red-painted halls of "Taste of Italy", the ohana looked up at Nick as he stood next to Lilo, tapping his spoon on a glass. Bonnie, Clyde, Legion, Belle, Page, Crystallene, Jude, Bellatrix, Echo, Jack, Grendella, Stitch, Angel, Sandy, Grey, Rupert, Ariel and Junior were was sitting in beautifully carved brown chairs on a long blue-painted table with various breads on their plates, especially garlic bread.

"As you all know…Sandy and Grendella have been going out for a long time, am I right?" Nick laughed. He was older now…he had a messy puberty beard and a moustache to go with it, and his hair had a bald patch at the front…in fact, he sorta looked like Billy Crystal now. He nodded at Sandy. "Well…Sandy has something VERY important to tell us and he wanted to say it here, at this restaurant…the same restaurant me and Lilo, coincidentally, went on for OUR first anniversary dinner."

Lilo nodded. Her long hair remained, but she now wore a red floral shirt and a cargo jacket, with blue denim shorts and white sneakers. She had a wedding ring on her finger and a big smile, feeling so proud of Sandy…and of Stitch too. He'd come so far.

Nick raised his glass of root beer up high and Sandy stood up as Nick stood down. He turned to Grendella, who blinked her blue eyes.

"My dear G…you've been a source of great joy for me in these past few months." Sandy told her. "I want to say, when we first met…I had no idea how wonderful you would be for me. Now I can't imagine doing something even MILDLY romantic without you. And…I want to tell you something else…something important. You see, while I think that red dress you're wearing is lovely…there's something I think you'd look even **better** in…"

He then held up a small black box and flipped the lid open, smiling gently down at her. "This. G…will you marry me?" He asked gently.

"…yes!" Grendella said, grinning broadly as she placed one paw to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my God, yes!"

"AWESOME!" Sandy laughed happily, hugging her tightly as everyone erupted into loud cheers, standing up and clapping with joy.

"Drinks are on me!" Clyde called out, making them cheer some more.

"Can you believe we're here?" Lilo asked Nick, nuzzling him with her "potato nose". "89 years of marriage. I couldn't be happier. But…you know…" She looked down at her outfit. "I can't dance in this."

"You're right." Nick admitted, taking her hands. He beamed broadly and began to sing as his mood necklace flashed in the light. "_**What's my age again?**_" He sang out happily, hazel green eyes twinkling at her deep brown ones. The others stepped back as a rainbow stream of light surrounded them and they immediately shrank, changing in form…

Now Nick was a kid, an 11-year-old with all his curly/wavy hair brushed back, in a blue Hawaiian t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He wore white sneakers and a bigger smile than he'd had on before, and THAT had been saying something. Lilo was a young ten-year-old girl in a red muumuu which had white flowers on it, and she wore sandals. Smiling at him, the two began to boogie on the spot as the restaurant began to play "Rubbernecking" by the King himself, making Nick's body glow with a rainbow hue again, tiny specks of light floating into the air.

"I'll never get used to that." Jack remarked.

"The best thing about magic is EVERYTHING, Jacky!" Nick laughed happily as he twirled Lilo around in place.

Sandy was sitting across from Jack and he patted him gently on his hand. "Can you believe it, Jack? I'm gonna be married! MARRIED! I'll be King of all Experimental Americans and G will be queen."

"It will be an honor for me to serve you as Chancellor, just as my Dad's done for YOUR daddy!" Bellatrix insisted, nodding her coned, turquoise head.

"You know, you never told me about how you and Grendella met." Jack remarked as Sandy began to drink his white wine seltzer. This immediately set off alarm bells…for some reason, Sandy could NOT handle seltzer drinks, the extra fizz seemed to make him loopy. He was sure that Sandy had ordered a simple white wine WITHOUT the seltzer, not…

Oh. He'd mixed it up with Grendella's drink. Ah well, this might get interesting, Jack thought as Sandy downed the seltzer. "Well…ya see…" Sandy began, getting up and walking over to Jack, taking him around the shoulder and leading him off to have a "man-to-man" talk. "When Grendella first appeared she was pretty…pretty…ug…ugly…"

Jack turned and blinked a few times. "Really?"

"Yes. She was…hic…kind of a…a monster…" He remarked, heading towards "Taste of Italy's" bar and sitting down, holding up the glass so he could get a refill. "We thought she was a mindless beast and we tried to kill her because she got three of us murdered…the thing was...she was REALLY bothered by harsh and loud sounds…still is…" His glass was refilled and he took another large swig. "So I came up with this plan…"

"Eh-huh?" Jack nodded.

"We lured her out by kidnappin' her parents and then I got her weakened in the parking lot. I beat the S—T outta here and…HIC…I…I tore her ARM off! Blood every-HIC!" He hiccupped again, his sunglasses falling off and breaking on the floor as he gave Jack a dumb grin. "And she took off…Grey healed her up later and she ended up savin'-HIC! Savin' my life…" He took another, larger swig. "Savin' my life ad…ad duh big addle 'gainst…'gainst Galadic…feddy rations…troops 'n stuff…"

He laughed. "Affa that, we'b beh inseperabubble." He finished, swishing his now-empty seltzer glass in the air. "Funny 'ow id works, uh?"

Jack looked at him with utter HORROR. "You ripped her ARM off and yet she loves you? And she's a MURDERER?"

"Aw, we all forgave her!" Sandy said. "Nobody gets hurd round ear. Id's all 'ood." He patted Jack on the shoulder again. "She 'aved my life…changed. Changed. So did I…ooh…"

"Hey honey. Let's DANCE." Grendella said, walking over to the bar and taking Sandy's other paw. "C'mon and show me your boogie."

Sandy grinned broadly and staggered off with Grendella as Jack hopped off the barstool he'd been at, gaping in amazement. This was IMPOSSIBLE for him to comprehend. How…HOW could she love the man who'd given her a blow that was essentially fatal? A ripping off of the arm? In a parking lot? What was WRONG with Sandy?

He frowned a little and then looked over at his dancing parents. He was glad that at least weren't arm-ripping idiots.

Then he noticed something…his mom and dad were both gone. Where'd they go?

As it were, they were out in the parking lot, looking at two other people.

"Kila…Zim…I see you came at the right time."

"As we agreed. 10 years."

"So what time works for you?" Clyde asked.

Zim rubbed his chin. "I believe…6:30 PM would work quite well. We'll see you there…"

…

…

…

… "We're going to be late! Hurry up or I'll rip your arm off!" Zim yelled as he banged on the door to his daughter's room. There were various posters up in her room of "Vertical Horizon", "The Goo Goo Dolls" and "Icehouse". The lyrics to "Electric Blue" were calmly being played on her PC, which was located at her big dark green desk, along with a bobblehead of GIR, which she enjoyed flicking.

"I can't find my black eyeliner!" Green yelled back at her father as she tossed clothing here and there. There was an ENORMOUS pile of dark green, purple, black and blue pants all around amidst different graphic novels such as "Watchmen", "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac", and "PowerPuff Girls Doujinshi".

"Oh, I threw that away, honey." Kila laughed.

"WHAT? **WHY**?" Green shouted, whipping her head towards the door.

"Well Smewce said on TV that girls who aren't teens that wear black eyeliner are more likely to do drugs, and I don't want you getting buzzed in the parking lot of the "Get In, Get Out" two years from now-"

"GREAT! Now I gotta mix all my OLD eyeliner mix together to try and MAKE black!"

"We're going to be late, aren't we?" Zim sighed deeply, shaking his head.

"I made tacquitos!" GIR said happily, holding up a plate above his head. "They've got TEMPEH in 'em! I'm goin' GREEN."

…

…

…

…Daveigh Pelekai looked in the mirror. Married happily for six years, she and Ashton Edmonds were preparing their daughter for a party.

Yuna was a brown-haired girl who had her hair tied into two short and spiky ponytails, and she wore a red dress with white flowers on it. She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "I don't WANNA go!" She yelled. "地獄の母!" She swore. "Why can't I go to the meeting with you guys? I'd have more fun, I've never even BEEN over to Green's house. She's…she's SCARY!"

"Her parents are here to donate money to help rebuild the library. As you know the government of Kauai's in debt due to the recession, this is a VERY generous act on their part." Ashton told his daughter. His red hair fell down around his head in neat locks and he twitched his moustache as he took off his small, blue-rimmed glasses. "It's important to learn the importance of donating to good causes…"

"If you guys are so obsessed with helpin' the poor, why don't you just let me be a COMMUNIST!" Yuna asked.

Daveigh sighed and put her hand over her face, her light green t-shirt feeling warm as she got nervous. "Honey…we've told you this before. Capitalism might be the unequal distribution of wealth, but Communism is the equal distribution of **poverty**." She told her daughter. "Besides, you know that the meeting of the Major Arcana is for members only. We keep telling you that every year."

The Major Arcana was a group dedicated to one purpose: protecting that which was good around the various realms in the multiverse. Countless worlds existed, and people from various realms of existence with different connections to those worlds all gathered together every year for the purpose of making sure that things never got out of control with the forces of evil or good. It was supposed to uphold the balance.

Even Nick, who had assumed himself for ages to be from the one and only "Real World" had been forced to reevaluate that idea. All worlds were real to someone and all of them were relevant and thus, always in need of those who would fight for their protection.

Yuna's mother and Father, bless their soul, were "The Lovers", symbols of romance, of humanism and choice. Their power lay in bringing people together through the bonds of love and by showing how much people across the worlds had in common. And Grey, godfather to experiments all across Hawaii, was "The Strength"...he had a will stronger than iron that never gave in, a gentle soul and amazing physical prowess. All of the titles for those on the Major Arcana were aptly named and VERY well deserved…

…

…

…

… "Dad, really, it's alright." Junior insisted, nodding his head.

"Son, no. You could get HURT." Rupert remarked, shaking HIS head as they stood in their home on Niihau. It was a nice house with light grey walls and beautiful wooden floors. Various modern art paintings were up on the walls and there were a lot of beautiful fauna in pots around the room…Ariel enjoyed taking care of plants.

Ariel was there too, nodding in agreement with her husband. Junior had found out about his dad's obligation as "Death" two years and had not wanted his daddy to have that job. Especially considering he was a doctor…it was like a slap in the face. A doctor was supposed to SAVE lives, not take them away…

So he'd been begging for years the same thing over and over. "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I'll be Death instead!"

"Son, I've told you this time and time again. You're not…ugh." He took a long, deep sigh. His son had his mind set on this. "…look…I'll bring it up with the other members of the Major Arcana. That if ANYTHING should happen to me, if I can't fulfill my duties…then my position and powers as Death will go to you. Will that cheer you up?"

"…a little." Junior said. "I just…I don't wanna think of you as the Grim Reaper."

"Death's not about simply dying. It's about a new journey. I'll put it in a way YOU'D like…Death is but the next great adventure." Rupert insisted.

Ariel nodded and wrote down "Harry Potter" on her notepad, holding it up for Junior to see. He let out an "Oooh" and nodded.

"Now Green's going to be very happy to see you, I'm sure. I think she LIKES you." Rupert admitted, smiling broadly.

…

…

…

… "So if Rex Huntington is the finest doctor in Spring Valley, why is HE defending Jessica in the murder trial?" Gavrilo asked his mother Spectra as they sat on a big blue couch in their living room, watching the TV.

"Because before he got pushed off the mountain and got amnesia, he was the finest LAWYER in Spring Valley!" Spectra explained to her son.

"What **I** can't believe is that Jessica's havin' an affair with the judge!" Gavrilo said, holding out his paws at the TV and shaking his head. "Any idiot could tell he's TOTALLY using her to get at the Farnsworth fortune!"

"Are you ready son?" Ace asked as he walked into the room. His red fur was slightly dulled with age, as were his white gloved hands and golden linings, but that dazzling smile was still there. His black eyes glittered as he nodded at Gavrilo.

"Uh…I suppose. But you know, I don't get why Ms. Jookiba is just writing a check. Why not do something fun, like have a celebrity golf tournament?" Gavrilo mumbled.

"Because the best good deeds are often the ones done in secret, with no expectation of reward." Ace reminded Gavrilo. "It is what makes us "human"."

"I still wish I didn't have to go to Green's house. She's creepy."

"She is NOT creepy. She's just unusual. And you're unusual too. Remember how you wore that cape all through second grade?" Spectra asked, laughing gently. "Let her grow on you. Give her time. I'm sure you'll end up being good friends with her and you'll have a nice time at her house. You should be glad she invited you and your friends over."

"And where will you be?" Gavrilo asked again.

"We have business on the other end of town, remember?" Ace insisted. "Now promise you'll behave."

"Dad…this reminds me, you never told me how you met Mom." Gavrilo spoke up.

"Well…Hyena introduced us." Spectra admitted, nodding her head sagely. "He and I…well, we used to love each other, but we had different desires. I wanted to write in my spare time and develop horror novels and he wanted to put his Captain Solo into my cargo hold, two entirely different needs…"

…

…

…

… "Uh, Dad…can we talk about my body?" Patch asked Dr. PL.

Dr. PL was inhabiting the body of his creation, which resembled Sample. Spirilise had light blue fur but smaller ears, a red nose, and one green eye, with the other being blue. There were diamonds embedded in both paws and on his chest and he scratched his large nose in confusion.

"Uh, **what**?"

"There's, like, all this gross stuff happening, and I tried to talk to Mommy about it, but she said to ask YOU. Cuz, you know, you're a doctor, I guess."

"But…so is SHE." Dr. PL remarked.

Patch shrugged a little, tilting her head to the side. "Well, I could try GOOGLING it, I guess-"

"No, no, it's good that you came to me. What's wrong?" He asked softly.

"Well, I've been feelin' GROSS all day and everybody acts weird when I try to talk about it. You see, some blood came outta my-"

"Er, honey, why don't we save that conversation for another time?" He spoke quickly. "I have to go clean the dead possum out of the chimney." He stuck out his tongue as his face scrunched up. "The smell's gotten so bad that I can't tell when grandma needs changing anymore!"

"Why don't you just ask Grey to **eat** it?" Patch asked.

"He said "Even **I** have standards". So…no."

…

…

…

…soon enough, Junior, Green, Echo, Yuna, Jack, Patch, Gavrilo, Charlie and Heartwing were all inside of an orange-painted room lined with various games. There was "Double Dragon", "Street Fighter", "Space Invaders", "Hoop Shoot", "Whack A Buzz" in which Buzz Lightyear's mug popped up from holes and you had to whack his large-chinned face down and DDR. There was a U-shaped couch that was red and plushy, and a brown table in the center with ten tons of sugar snacks on it, soda included.

"Yawn…" Green groaned, lying back in the couch.

"What she said." Echo mumbled.

"Preach it, sister!" Yuna laughed.

"Can I talk to you about girl stuff?" Patch asked Yuna.

"Not in a billion gajillion years." Yuna informed her.

"I'm bored, so I'm getting a drink. Anybody want one?" Green announced.

"Dr. Pepper if ya got it."

"Sprite!"

"Coke!"

"Wanta Fanta!"

"Nothin' for me!"

"Right." With a nod, Green walked out of the room with a long sigh, her brown hair trailing behind her.

"Listen, I KNOW we'd all rather be somewhere else right now…" Junior sighed as she left. "But we're stuck here for at **least** another hour, so we might as well TRY and amuse ourselves."

"So what's the name of the game? What's the plan?" Charlie asked. "I mean, I wanted to be here with you insteada at the Arcana meetin'…but I wanna do something fun!"

"Me too!" Heartwing agreed, nodding his head.

_"Please be beer, please be beer, please be beer…"_ Jack thought.

"Let's spy on the 'rents." Gavrilo suggested deviously, his eyes twinkling.

"Spy on Green's parents in their laboratory? How? They locked it from the outside, I saw it." Junior remarked.

"Simple…" Gavrilo walked over to the nearby "Dance Dance Revolution" game and pressed the "Single Player" button. He then busted a move on the dance pad, doing a specific pattern. Up-down, up-down, right-left-right-left…

FWOOSH! A dark doorway opened up to the right of the DDR machine, with enough room to fit even MARY, one of the fattest experiments in town.

"I happened to do some…research on this house." Gavrilo remarked. "The whole place used to belong to Dr. Chansey before she got that fancy mansion!"

"Why spy? They're probably on top of each other, snogging up a storm on a table." Echo laughed.

"I'll admit, it would be interesting to watch those guys in action working on some new laser thingy." Junior admitted, nodding his head.

"Yeah, and who knows what they're like behind closed doors?" Jack mused. "I mean, what secrets are they hiding?"

"Sure you don't wanna play…spin the bottle?" Patch wisecracked, holding up a bottle.

"…okay, lame secret passageways it is!" Echo remarked.

And so, they slunk through the passageways, looking around in the darkness. "I hope these windows we keep passing are one-way…" Jack whispered.

"My night vision stinks…" Echo mumbled. "Can I hold onto you, Jack?"

"Don't squeeze his arms too tight, he might get a broken arm!" Charlie warned.

"Yeah, it almost happened…" Jack mumbled nervously.

Meanwhile, Green was mumbling to herself as she walked down the hallway, heading back from the kitchen. "Now that I've got a car, I'm LEAVIN' and I'm never comin' back! "No Green, please don't go, we didn't know it was the GIR'S thermometer!" It's too late for apologies! I'm OUTTA here! "Green, just name your price, we'll do ANYTHING!" HA! You think this is about MONEY? This is about RESPECT!" She hissed.

The reason why she was upset about GIR's thermometer being used was because GIR never stuck his in his MOUTH…

Yeah, she had a COUPLE of issues with her parents.

"Oh…my…" Junior gasped as he looked out from a mirror near the far right end. He motioned them to come over and put a furry digit to his lip, making the gesture for silence. They walked over and looked out through the one-way mirror to see…

Bonnie, Clyde, Ace, Spectra, Zim, Kila, Legion, Bellatrix, a fat Irken and his pretty-looking girlfriend, a vibrantly-greened eyed human in a black jacket with fiery, thick red hair and a blue-skinned, vaguely-reptilian imp creature with red horns, an orange handkerchief wrapped around his neck and orange gloves on his three-digited hand were all sitting around a circular table within a laboratory. Bubbling liquid was contained within tubes that lined up and down the room.

"Thank you Chancellor." Clyde said, nodding at Legion. "And now that we've heard Chancellor Koʻokoʻo's words and we're satisfied with Snizzi's plans for our enemies from the Netherworld…I think we can move onto The Clan's last order of business, don't you?" Clyde remarked. "Drinks!" He said happily, holding up a large bottle of brandy.

"Wait…they're all here?" Gavrilo whispered. "And…they're calling themselves "The Clan"?"

"Look…they're all wearing armbands…" Junior whispered, pointing. Sure enough, all of them had dark purple armbands on their arms, with a red Roman symbol for 12 on the front and back. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"They're…superheroes?" Echo whispered.

"Ooh, hold on, there's something I need to…finish with before WE finish here." Zim announced, clapping his hands.

GIR appeared with Minimoose, bringing out a pink-haired female Irken who nervously bit her lip. She had alien handcuffs on wrists and candy-cane-shaped antennae. She was taller than GIR, looking about 5 feet, and she was wearing only a white t-shirt with a pink heart on the front. Luckily it was so big it covered up her extremities.

"Uh oh…I think that they're up to somethin' NAUGHTY." Echo whispered. "I saw this on a video Dad had, it's called "Voyeurism"…"

"Wait, you mean SEX?" Junior whispered. "Geez, that is-"

"Wait, what is Relationship Sue doing here?" Legion remarked, frowning.

"If you must know, she found out about our activities while she was stalking ZIIIIM!" Zim announced, waving his fists in the air. "I have never been more furious AND creeped out AND honored at the same time!"

"So we have to…fix things. She knows about our plans." Kila said quietly, placing her paws together. "We can't allow that."

"I'm sowwy." GIR said sadly, looking up at the Irken girl and tearing up a little. He looked away along with Minimoose as Zim walked over and tugged down on the girl's shirt, making her go to her knees. He held up a curved knife.

"I want you to know that this isn't personal at all. To put it tritely, you just know too much." Zim said simply. "And any who dare reveal the plans of the Clan must DIE."

And with that, he stabbed the knife clear into the girl's heart. It went in with a SHUNK and her eyes bugged out for a moment before he let go and she hit the ground. He held the knife up, the blood dripping down and smiled grimly. "That was easy." He remarked. "She didn't even scream."

Meanwhile, behind the mirror, our protagonists had RUN for it and were now back in the game room, panting and heaving. "Hahh…hooh…hah…"

"I can't BELIEVE what I just saw!" Echo whimpered quietly.

"They…they just…they…" Charlie sobbed.

"How could they do something so cold?" Heartwing wondered, shaking his head.

"What did we just see? It…it has to be a trick…" Gavrilo mumbled.

"Are you frickin' HIGH?" Jack screamed, spreading his arms out wide and waving them rapidly in the air. "Our parents are **SUPER VILLAINS!**"

SLAM!

All of them turned their heads to see Green standing there. She locked the door and sighed sadly, shaking her head. "I'm sorry you had to see this." She spoke gently, mournfully. "I truly am…"


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

It was too bad that the children had bolted as soon as they'd seen the stabbing, because one could argue that they missed out on another piece of action…

Bonnie had rushed up to Zim and had gotten right in his face, spitting on him. "You little BUG!" She hissed. "How DARE you!"

He shoved her away, eyes narrowing. "Stupid little thief! What is your malfunction!"

"Exactly! I AM a thief! I don't kill if I can help it! We could have just erased her memory!"

"You know that that sort of technology has a bad habit of occasionally lobotomizing those it's tested on." Kila said coolly. "This was just faster."

Clyde growled angrily as Zim dusted himself off. "GIR, take the body away." Zim ordered.

GIR nodded quietly and picked the body up, bringing it out of the room as the others all looked at Kila and Zim.

"Now that THAT'S done…"

"You are DISGUSTING. You truly are." The red-haired human announced. His fiery, spiky, long hair blazed slightly as his green eyes glowed a little. "At least Snizzi and I have standards."

"We have standards. They're just lower than yours." Zim snapped. "We do what needs to be done."

Skoodge sighed sadly as he watched GIR take the body away. "I wish you could have done it less painfully. Now then…what about our plans?"

"Indeed. As you know, Star Command has us working on an Electro-Magnetic Pulse Generator that we have SAID is meant to be turned on Planet Z. What they DON'T know is that we plan to use them on Star Command itself."

"And Senkoukura's going to be here during the wedding of Sandy and Grendella, as will most of the others." Clyde announced. "We'll then sneak over to the island and clean him out of his artifacts."

"Which is in two months…you know, you two not showing up at the wedding DOES limit the suspects." Legion admitted.

"Which is where WE come in, remember?" Belle remarked. "We vouch for them. And we've convinced White to do the same, even though he's got NO idea why he's being paid to collaborate our story." She added, grinning broadly.

"And the Galactic Federal Alliance has most of their troops and bureaucracy in disarray ever since the Invasion. Rueben's been trying to keep them all united, but it's proving to be a strain with the resistance groups WE'VE been funding." Ace added.

"I hope our children understand what we're doing…" Spectra remarked.

"If they ever found out about this, they'd think we're no different than the stupid "supervillains" they like to read so much about in those comics of theirs, the kind I spent years putting away in JAIL." Ace spoke up.

"Don't you call us supervillains! We're HEROES." Tenn, Skoodge's wife spoke up. "Our entire life's been dedicated to making the galaxy a better place for our children. Our METHODS might be different than most, but…"

"Don't be _naïve_, Tenn." The imp, Snizzi spoke up. "There is absolutely NOTHING more dangerous than the wide-eyed idealism of a youthful heart."

"He's got a point. I'm sure that if our children ever found out about this…they'd be plotting to overthrow us. They might even be doing it as we speak…" Kila said quietly, eyes narrowing.

…

…

…

…in regards TO their children, all of them stood stock still as Green stood blocking their only way out, save for the passageway to the laboratory. Green looked them all over, then spoke up.

"So now you know. My dad's a supervillain. So's my mom…and so are many of your parents." She sighed deeply. "I had wanted to keep it a secret. It's…embarrassing." She covered her face. "But you can't tell anybody about this. I'm trying to expose them and if my plans are messed up…"

"You're trying to get them exposed?" Heartwing asked gently.

"Yes. But I need recorded proof. I found out last week what they were up to, but finding proof's hard. They've got no cameras in the house or any recording stuff, except GIR, whose optics can act as recording lenses…"

"GIR?" Jack blinked in confusion.

"The cute little grey robot?" Green clarified, one eyebrow raised as she held up one clawed hand, cupping it slightly.

"Wall-E?" Charlie inquired.

"No you yellow filthy, the one with the light blue eyes." Green snapped. "He's got this password Dad gave him that allows him to release all the data he's recorded, but I've yet to find out what it is. If you could give me some help…I'd be able to find that password, record their plans and bust them."

"Why not just bring a camera inside the house?" Echo asked, looking confused.

Green looked left and right. "I tried." She whispered. "But the thing is, Dad seems to have this innate ability to seek out and destroy all cameras! It's like he's got a **nose** for the stuff."

"But he doesn't HAVE a nose." Heartwing remarked.

Green took a long, deep, sigh. Then spoke up. "Anyhow, I tried, it didn't work. All of them got taken and I think GIR actually ATE them!" She informed them, eyes widening.

They all muttered sympathetic comments as Green sighed. "So…I came up with this plan. I know Dad likes spying on his enemies and I'm sure he brings GIR along for that stuff, to help him out. If we could all split up and take turns stalking him, we'd figure out the password and then we could bust him and the others."

Jack rubbed his chin. "That's actually a good idea!" He admitted.

"Do you know his schedule? How long will he be staying here?" Junior asked, looking concerned.

"He's gonna be here until the wedding's finished. That's when that plan comes together!" Green informed them. "So…are you all in?"

They looked at each other…then nodded. "We're in." Junior agreed.

"Hands in!" Echo laughed, holding out her hand.

All of them put their hands together and Green looked around. "It's a pact then…we'll expose our supervillain parents! One…two…three…BREAK!"

All of them broke up, arms up in the air just as the door opened up, unlocked from the outside. Zim and the other parents stood there, grinning. "What are you up to, Green?"

"Me and my friends just swore to be buddies for life!" Green announced happily.

"Aw, that's nice." Kila remarked.

"Come on, Jack. Let's head home." Bonnie informed Jack, casting a brief death-glare at Zim and Kila.

One by one the other adults left, and Kila, Zim and Green were left alone. Zim smirked as the door closed and GIR and Minimoose walked in, sitting down on the couch and helping themselves to the food on the table before them. "So?"

"And the Oscar goes to…GREEN!" Green laughed happily, spreading her arms wide as she hugged her mom and dad. "They bought it! One of the worst performances ever given and they never doubted it for a second!"

"Indeed. So…" Zim rubbed his chin. "Who will get the first shift? Who's going to be the lucky one to see the files? The one with the most potential? Is it Death's son?"

"No, I sized him up. He's not that kind of person. But…" Green grinned broadly. "Jack is another story. I can feel it in him…"

…

…

…

…5'6…brown/black hair with bright green eyes with hair that was fairly long, but brushed down, almost in spikes. A fancy wrist computer on his left wrist with brown wool trousers, a dark blue-long-sleeved shirt and a thin body…this was Alex. He happened to be a very skilled handyman…in fact, he could do anything he set his mind to…except windows. He did NOT do windows. Period.

He was looking at a large package and looked quite pleased with himself as Echo looked him over. "What is it?" She asked.

"This…" He held the package up. "Is the crystal skull! As a matter of fact, it's the crystal skull from "Indiana Jones, Legend of the Crystal Skull!" He smiled broadly. "Bloody brilliant, eh?"

"You collect action films stuff?" Echo asked, looking amazed.

"I'm a movie prop fan. I've got an entire warehouse filled with stuff like this." He smiled. "Just like in "The Last Crusade", really." He added with a big smile.

"You keep 'em in a warehouse? Why not your normal house?"

Alex turned pale for a moment and he looked away. "…it's personal." He mumbled.

"…I'm sorry." Echo apologized, shrugging a little.

"…it's okay. It's not YOUR fault." He said gently, nodding. "I've got to get going." With a friendly nod, he walked off and Echo waved goodbye.

"Hmm. He looks familiar." Echo remarked. "Hey, did you do my house's windows last week?"

"I DON'T DO WINDOWS!" He called back.

…

…

…

…Nacht pushed the door open and walked inside the classroom. The experiment took a long deep breath, and then called out.

"Grey?"

Grey was sitting behind the desk in the dark of the room, the pale light from the moon outside casting odd shadows on the wall. He was looking at a photograph that he'd had framed…a pretty little thing that showed a group of experiments. One of them was brownish/red with long brown ponytails that ended in a paintbrush-style flourish. Another was a black-haired experiment with brown fur and a large, fanged smile who had a lovable-looking orange and yellow mouse-like experiment on her shoulder. Next to her was a grey-furred experiment with a yellow, rooster-like crest at the top of his head with a fancy vest on, to the far right were two experiments that resembled Leroy's body form, one brown with glasses, the other black with red-tinted eyes and a big grin. The final person in there, who was close to HIM, was a green-furred experiment with goggles atop her head and a lab coat…Kila herself.

"You know before Zim and Kila were married all those years ago…I saw her every day. She always came into the store like the others. And I visited them to make deliveries. And pretty soon we were all good acquaintances, and then…friends. And Kila…she trusted me. She even let saved me a good seat at the wedding. She ended up meeting Zim BECAUSE of me and…"

Grey spoke in a soft, quiet voice. "And I ended up not going because I had gotten sick, remember?"

Nacht nodded, teal head bobbing up and down.

"I wasn't actually sick. I just…couldn't…" Grey's clawed hand, the one gripping the photograph, was shaking. "I couldn't bring myself to look at her up there with him. I couldn't stop myself from crying at home. She was everything inside of me I wanted to be but never could be, she was smart, she was witty, she was intelligent and cultured and she had a beauty about her, a simple pureness that shone from her beautiful golden eyes. And…and I was a beast. I guess part of me knew I couldn't be with her, but…I I never…never imagined any other possibility. I just loved her so much."

He put the photograph down and covered his face. "And now…now this girl…I don't know what to think…but she's gotten me thinking of what I could have had. I…could have been so happy with Kila…" He finally began to sob. He didn't know what else to say.

Nacht looked him over, quiet. He wasn't sure what he could say. Then something did come to mind. "If you can't bring yourself to talk to Kila…perhaps you should speak to Green."

Grey's head shot up. "I…I don't know if that's such…well…" He frowned slightly. "I mean…she obviously is my daughter…somehow." He looked to the side. "…you're right. I'll try to go find her."

…

…

…

… "This is gonna be awesome." Yuna said as she rubbed her hands together. She had on spy makeup under her eyes and a backpack filled with stuff. "Our mission is simple…spy on our creepy neighbor next door."

Jack nodded and as he and Yuna carefully made their way towards the back door. Green had deliberately left it unlocked, but she could only do so for so long. As they slunk inside, heading to the yellow-painted kitchen, Green was there, and she sipped a root beer before nodding. "Alright, I'm going to distract Mom while you go follow Dad. He's gonna be in the laboratory study, working on the computer." Green informed them.

Green then perked one ear up and her eyes widened. Hearing her mom coming, she took off, and so did Yuna and Jack, sneaking towards the laboratory and creeping into the door. Soon they were hiding behind some large trash cans and within a closet filled with devices respectively as Zim began to type away at his computer.

He was…speaking out loud as he typed.

"Alright, parenthetically dividing…there, that's all set…and add this together aaaaaaaaaand we…have…LIFTOFF!" He laughed evilly, cackling. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah, it is good to be me…good to be Zim. That's another ten million "generously donated" to our cause. Thank you, Larb! Now then…for that stupid traitor."

Zim picked up a little bobblehead next to the computer he was working on and held it up. "What do you think? Do I do Zoburg-I mean Zurg?"

The bobblehead naturally nodded and Zim grinned, putting it back down and getting back to work. "Yes, Zurg's a generous fellow. I think he'd be happy to donate…ALL HE'S GOT." Zim sneered, eyes glittering.

Then he heard a loud explosion, followed by GIR's cry of "Noooo! WRRRRY, Piggy! WRRRRY?"

"GIR!" Zim cried out, rushing out of his seat. "I told you, we're running out of microwaves!"

Seeing him take out of the laboratory, our protagonists saw their chance and Yuna carried Jack quickly over to the computer. He began typing away, grinning. "Hee-hee…look at all of THIS! He's got data files on EVERYONE!" He announced. "Even Mom and Dad…oh WOW." Jack's eyes went wide. "The Louvre? That heist was THEIR work?" He gasped in horror.

"Jack, we're trying to find GIR's password, remember?" Yuna reminded him.

"In a second, in a second!" Jack snapped. "Oh geez…I didn't know Chops had all this history…there's so much…all those troopers? God…and Page almost got an entire religion to commit mass suicide?" He looked horrified. He continued to read more and more, and was more horrified with every single page. It was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. How could all of the people he knew as family have such skeletons in their closets? HOW?

His ears perked up. Zim was coming back. "We've got to hide again." He realized out loud. He quickly changed the computer back to the hacking program Zim had been using, closing the data screens out and they scrambled off to hide once more. Zim returned to the computer, sighing.

"Running out of microwaves, yet he keeps finding pigs. HOW does he keep finding all those pigs? And more importantly, fitting them INTO the microwaves?"

Zim talked for a long time to himself as he kept working, but Jack wasn't listening. In his mind's eye, he kept picturing an image of his parents laughing as they watched Zim stab that girl over and over…the girl then fell down, and as she turned her eyes to look at he, who watched the scene unfold from above…he saw what all the parents were laughing at…he was there, his lifeblood bleeding out onto the floor…

…

…

…

…Grey took a deep breath as he looked out from the tree he was hiding in. His eyes peered over the houses as he saw Green heading off to the park with Junior. Both of them were trailing Zim, who was out with GIR. Apparently Zim needed to go pick up some supplies at Slick's store.

Junior and Green were well hidden…sneaking around in the sewer systems. But Grey could see every once in a while that their heads popped up to look out the grates. He grinned wryly and quickly jumped down from the tree, slinking from one house to another. His eyes narrowed as he carefully crawled along the grass, being absolutely silent.

The wind was blowing his scent away from the others…good, he mused. He carefully crawled up a house and waited for them to make a move. Ears slightly raised, he listened to them speak in the sewer grate.

"He STILL hasn't said the password to make GIR go all camera-mode."

"He will, he will."

"Green…listen, uh...my dad used to be a supervillain too. I kinda know what it's like. He turned good for the sake of family. I just want you to know that if you need anyone to talk to…"

"I don't know WHO to talk to." Green mumbled. "My dad was always eccentric, but…evil? I mean…GEEZ. How did I not pick up on this? I AM GREEN!" She remarked slightly loudly.

Realizing her mistake, she and Junior ducked back inside the sewer, dodging a glance from Zim, who shrugged, thinking he'd been hearing things, and kept walking.

"Sorry." Green whispered to Junior. "Force of habit…"

It was then that Zim pointed up into the air. "GIR…I wish to make a memo to myself. Begin the recordening!"

GIR saluted, his eyes, shoulder and chest pad turning red. "Yes sir!" He announced, his eyes popping out and showing a display that resembled old-fashioned tapes.

"_Recordening_?" Junior remarked, looking mortified. "GOD, Irkens are so uncreat-"

Green growled in his face. "DON'T insult the mighty Irken race."

"…sorry." Junior apologized as they carefully made their way down the sewer and Junior used his strong antennae to rip a far-off grate open. They crawled out, badly in need of a bath. "Let's go tell the others, shall we?"

"First…we need to talk." Grey remarked, placing his clawed hands on his hips and stepping forward. "Green…"

"…Grey…" Green murmured back.

"I think it's time…we had a talk." Grey announced. "About your family…about me…"

POOF! Suddenly he was gone, transported away in a puff of smoke. A moment later, so was Junior.

Green blinked. "What on IRK?"

Watching from afar, the human named Alex smiled wryly and mumbled into his wrist computer. "I've identified almost all I need to know about them. Soon I'll be putting my plan into motion…"

…

…

…

… Grey slapped his forehead as he manifested, along with Junior, in a long hallway that led to a set of double doors. "Ooh! I forgot! Emergency meeting!"

"Huh?"

"Of the Major Arcana! And THIS…" He put his clawed hand atop of Junior's head and ruffled it. "Means you've got your dad's job now. Congratulations!"

He turned towards the doorway. "It's time." He announced. "Now you get to meet the other members!"

**BGM: United We Stand, from Quest for Camelot**

Inside of a beautiful, wide room that had stars painted all over its cascading paint job of dark blue, which was made to simulate the night sky, a circular table sat. Grey pushed the doors open further and Junior walked in as the stars on the ceiling began to swirl around, turning as if night was passing before his very eyes, though in fast forward.

"Well…take your seat, number 13, Death." Grey announced, nodding.

Junior looked at a chair across from his view with "13" emblazoned at the top. He grinned eagerly as he walked towards the chair and doors on the other sides of the room opened up, allowing more people to walk in.

_**United we stand…now and forever  
In truth, divided we fall!  
Hand upon hand, brother to brother  
No one shall be greater than all! **_

Grey nodded happily at the others as he took his seat as "Number 8".

_**United we stand…now and forever  
In truth, divided we fall  
Hand upon hand, brother to brother  
No on… shall be greater than all!**_

A shimmering light appeared in Junior's paws and he looked down to see a wooden-shafted scythe appear with a sharp-looking steely blade. There was a flower embedded in the bottom.

"Your symbol." A brown-haired being announced. He wore green armor with silver gloves and boots. He had a white Polaris star insignia on his chest and a green mask covering his eyes, situated just above his nose. His eyes sparkled as he nodded. "Welcome, Junior von Hamsterviel! I am Number 11…Justice!" He spoke loudly as he held up a set of black scales and a sparkling white sword with a green gem embedded at the bottom of the hilt.

_**United we stand…now and forever  
In truth, divided we fall  
Hand upon hand, brother to brother  
No on… shall be greater than all!**_

"Number 4…The Emperor!" A familiar blue imp announced, holding up a golden scepter in his three-digited, orange-gloved hands.

"Number 9…The Hermit!" A brown-haired, golden-eyed gothic youth announced in a soft but kind voice. He held aloft a lantern with a glowing flame inside.

"Number 17…The Star!" Page announced, his beautiful eyes shining in the room as he held up a water jug filled with holy water.

"Number 18…The Moon!" Nightwing announced next, his crescent moon insignia exposed for all to see as he nodded firmly at everyone. His black body glinted, though not as brightly as the golden scales on his chest and the crested spikes atop his head.

"Number 1…The Magician!" A green-scaled, blue-haired serpentine "furry" announced as he held aloft a sparkling emerald. He wore a white jacket and a golden belt and looked vaguely shamanic.

"Number 16…The Tower!" A familiar red-haired being announced, his green eyes glowing brightly. The chains attached to his belt jingled as he stood erect, looking at the others, the Hawk insignia on the back of his his dark jacket glowing.

"Number 8… Strength!" Grey then announced, stepping forward and holding up his clawed hand into the air and clenching it into a fist as it glowed with a rainbow hue.

"Number 13…Death!" Junior joined in, holding up his scythe into the air, making them all nod in agreement.

"Number 6…The Lovers!" Ashton Edmonds and Daveigh Pelekai announced, holding onto each other's hands as they nodded at the others.

"Number 3…The Empress!" Lilo Pelekai announced as she walked forward, a flower in her hair that had twelve little pink spots on each of its beautiful white petals. She wore a flowing white muumuu with red flower symbols on it.

"Number 0…The Fool!" A final voice called out, stepping forward, holding up a flower into the air…a dandelion. "Welcome my friends…to another meeting of the Major Arcana!"


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Having finished the introductions, the members of the Major Arcana all sat down. Nick placed his hands together and spread out the fingers as he nodded at Junior. "So now you are Death, filling in for your father's stead. There's much you'll need to do." He told Junior. "You don't mind "On the job training", do you?" He asked gently.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." Junior stated, looking slightly confused. "Say, isn't Mr. White a member of the Major Arcana? Why isn't he here?"

"Those not present at the meetings are those away on important business, little one. Now then, let us address the reason WHY we are all here." The snake magus spoke up.

"Very well, Magician. Speak." The Fool stated, getting into character.

"As the members of the Major Arcana, we uphold the balance. Now something threatens that balance. I have consulted the tea leaves…my GREEN TEA leaves." He spoke dramatically.

All of the others gasped. Junior had a bad feeling this was serious business.

"They foretell of great danger…danger from within. Betrayal." The Magician whispered. "I am sorry to be the bearer of this bad news indeed."

"It is alright. I have news to speak as well." The Star announced. "Last night, I was visited in my sleep by a prophetic vision. One of the children has turned to the darkness…"

He looked over at The Strength. "I suspect it to be YOUR child…"

"I don't have a child." The Strength said simply, sadly. "Unless you mean-"

"I am certain that Green is up to no good." The Star spoke sadly. "I am sorry to tell you this, my friend. You need to talk to her, to convince her away from the path. She must not feed the Black Dog, as the Native Americans say-"

"She's already spoken with us!" Death announced quickly, standing up. "We've seen Zim and Kila kill a girl for spying on their plans…they're all up to something sinister and they've got other people in on it! Green and I were following Zim today to find out the password for his robot's recording equipment so that we could get proof of him killing an innocent girl!"

"No need…" The Emperor spoke up. His voice was sinister and youthful, with a hint of a growl. "I shall explain it for you. Me and Vassago, the Tower, have infiltrated the group to undermine it from the inside. We have proof of their betrayal."

"Kila…killed a girl?" The Strength whispered quietly. "Th-that can't be…"

"I am afraid it is true she has come to the side of evil." The Tower spoke, nodding his head. "Kila stood there and watched her husband murder a female Irken without remorse. If you say that Green is trying to work against her parents, then that is good news."

Death felt a tinge of relief. Good…they had help in this.

"We must always be on the lookout for inner darkness." The Moon spoke up ominously. "In another time and place…that could be-"

"**Us** doing the murder?" Death wondered out loud.

A grim smile on his draconic features, the Moon went on. "Or us **being** murdered."

"Enough of such morbidity…" The Magician reached into his robes and pulled out a small pot and several cups, smiling broadly. "Tea, anyone?"

"Ooh!" The Lovers' eyes lit up.

After The Magician was nice enough to pass around Green Tea for everyone, which Junior greatly enjoyed (He'd NEVER enjoyed tea before, not ONCE), Junior returned home with his mind at ease that things would work out.

Jack, however, had not been so lucky. He stood upright in his bed as he looked across the hall at Grendella's room. "Well…I wonder what dream I'll have tonight." He murmured. "The Forest of Severed Legs, The Hanging Gardens of Irkens or Drowning in Sue's Blood." He bit his lip for a few moments, then covered his head with his cover, mumbling.

Then he remembered something and his eyes went wide…and then he grinned broadly.

He was gonna sleep like a BABY tonight.

…

…

…

...due to the economy being in the tank in Hawaii, which still had the highest rate of unemployment in the USA, there were some…cutbacks…that needed to be done. One ingenious idea that the school had had was to allow the highest-scoring students in each class to teach for one week. As it were, Jack had this week…

And he was making Green do United States history on the board. Sadly, she did not know much **about** US history. But you don't need to take MY word for it.

"Uh…I…er…um…ah…" She kept scribbling on the board. "And…there?"

Jack, sitting behind the teacher's chair, smirked. "Ooh, isn't THIS an interesting timeline, hook nose! Let's see…first there was the Moon Landing…then the War of 1812…then the Lincoln/Kennedy shootout!" He laughed.

"That's…wrong, I guess…" Green mumbled hatefully. He'd been doing this for three days in a row and she couldn't take much more.

"You know what this means, don't you heeb?" Jack asked. "This is your fifth wrong answer. Five more means…monkey dance! Luckily for you…I've got just the thing that'll ensure your losing streak fails, since I'm so kind…"

He held up a large cage and placed it down on a chair. There were three buttons in the cage and a white mouse inside. "Relative of yours, perhaps?" He asked Green. "Or maybe yours, Junior?" Jack laughed.

Junior frowned as Jack held up a paper. "Alright, let's begin…"

…

…

…

… "Uh…I don't know…I…I guess…"

Sweat poured down Green's brow as she bit her lip. "Um…er…is it…C?"

"Ooh, I'm sorry, that's incorrect! Now then…Bernard?" Jack turned to the mouse.

The mouse went to the button marked "A" and pressed it, making it light up. Jack laughed and clapped his hands together, the flashcards in his hand falling to the ground. "Good, good! I was looking to a closer race, but Bernard really ran away with this one!" He looked up at the clock. "Ooh, it looks like that's all the time we have left, but luckily tomorrow we'll be able to see another episode of "What…is Dumber than Green?"! She'll be doing the Monkey Dance first thing!"

BRIIIIING!

The class was dismissed and a groaning Green grabbed her notebook and left the room as an angry-looking Heartwing walked up to him and glared in his face.

"You are a BULLY and a SADIST, y'know!" The emerald little dragon growled. "How can you POSSIBLY take any satisfaction out of humiliating Green? She's done nothing to you! Just because she follows the Jewish faith-"

"Well, well…I was wondering when you'd speak up. I was surprised you didn't say something yesterday when she was curled up in a fetal position under her desk." Jack remarked, laughing. "And don't worry, next week it'll be Junior's turn, and I'll stop."

"No. You are going to stop NOW." Heartwing demanded. "What you're doing is EVIL!"

"It's just how I rolllll!" Jack remarked. "BUT…maybe we can work something out." He rubbed his chin. "It's simple Heartwing…you happen to have the highest scores in Philosophy class due to your knowledge of ethics. We've-I'VE been trying to get the highest grades in ALL the classes, from Alpha to Epsilons, ha-ha-ha! So if you don't want to see me destroy your precious little friend's mental state any more…you'll tank the course."

"Are you HONESTLY that shallow and petty?" Heartwing inquired, black eyes narrowing.

"You have **no** idea." Jack remarked evilly, showing off his fangs.

"…obviously you can't help being a big bully…" Heartwing growled darkly. "Fine, I'll fail the course for you." He said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Glad to see you've stepped into my parlor! You know, I know that you think that this compromised victory will taste like ashes, but you as a dragon should know…ashes don't taste that bad." Jack laughed, walking away. "Too bad…it was such fine making fun of the kyke!" He laughed.

"…that…EVIL…**MONSTER**…" Heartwing whispered. "How can anybody be so cruel towards somebody just because of religion?"

…

…

…

… "He's horrible sometimes. I think that being around people of Jewish descent brings out the worst in him." Yuna said sadly as she looked across the cafeteria. She, Patch, Echo and Green were all together, just girls.

"Sometimes I like him. When he's not himself." Green sniggered.

"I'd punch him, but I'm afraid I'd break him." Echo remarked angrily as she glared at Jack, who was sitting with Gavrilo. "Hey Patch, you go over there and do it for me. I'll pay you ten bucks."

"I'm a pacifist." Patch said, looking offended at the mere SUGGESTION of violence.

"Have you noticed anything odd about him?" Green inquired, rubbing her chin. "Occasionally I hear him talking out loud…"

"Maybe he's got MPD like my granddad did." Echo remarked, shrugging her shoulders and raising her paws up. "Boy, he had issues…"

"ALL of our parents have had issues, but I didn't think…" Green sighed. "At least from what Junior told us about the meeting the adults have it under control…"

"Maybe Jack has a dual personality." Echo thought out loud.

"Well I hope his other one is nicer than THIS one!" Green laughed. "He should keep an open mind!"

"Like yours?" Jack asked, appearing behind them. He grinned evilly at Green as she turned around. "I can tell yours is open because there's nothin' in it."

"Oooooooh!" Everyone nearby remarked.

"It's on!" Spectra called out through the hallways. "It is OHN like DONKEY KONG!"

Green cracked her neck as all of the students made a ring around her. She took a deep breath…and then spoke up. "I've noticed you talk to yourself. I'm not surprised…nobody else would listen to you!"

"BURN!" Echo laughed.

"I know why you keep flying off the handle, Green…it's cuz you've got a screw loose." Jack snapped back.

"Ooh, and the Southpaw with the Purple Eyes comes back with an uppercut!" Gavrilo sniggered.

"You know, as far as racists go, you're fine…and the SOONER you'll go, the BETTER!" Green growled.

"Every time you walk past boys, they sigh…with RELIEF that you're going away!" Jack hissed.

"You're so poisonous that if a dog bit you, it would die!"

"You're so ugly, even SPIDERS run when they see you!"

"Your death wouldn't be under "Obituaries", it would be under "Neighborhood improvements"!"

"You know what I like about your hair? It's big enough to cover most of your face!"

It was then that the two of them found themselves being held up in the air by an albino human who's pink eyes glared down at them. Quickly they realized that Principal White was in a mood…and he was not feeling tolerant towards such nasty behavior.

"I don't…have…TIME for this crap." He said angrily. "Jack…I've already called Sandy up to take you to your parent's house. Your mom and dad would go, but they're busy Green, your mother's on her way here. You're both going home and then you two will need to work out your differences…"

With that he let them drop to the ground and they saw they had cuffs on their wrists…steel sleep cuffs. They let out long yawns, and then curled up as sleep overtook them.

…

…

…

…Jack awoke in the backseat of Sandy's car as Sandy sighed deeply. "Jack…you have so much POTENTIAL." Sandy said gently. "Once you overcome the weak body you've got, you can be a special symbol. You'll show that you can reach your dreams no matter what, even if it sometimes hurts just to get up in the morning."

"I know, I know…" Jack groaned as he rubbed his head. "You're so nice to me, Sandy…"

"I know it's hard for you to be accepting, but you've got to fake it until you make it. Play pretend until the pretense becomes the real thing."

Jack wasn't interested in this advice though. He had once cared a lot about Sandy's words of wisdom. Now when he looked at Sandy, all he could see was him ripping his screaming sister's arm off…

His innocent sister…

"Sandy…"

"Yeah?"

"…do you think, in our heart of hearts, we're all basically evil?" He asked. "That we're all just murderers?"

"Jack, you could never murder anyone." Sandy said gently.

Jack blinked a few times and a sad, lonely feeling welled up in him. A realization. A feeling so awful it made him want to cry when he realized what it was saying.

But he didn't. He had to be strong.

As soon as Sandy had dropped him off and he'd gone inside to wait for his parents to get home, Jack went to the phone.

BRIIING! BRIIIING!

"Hello? Hi! Spooky, glad to talk to you! Listen…I need you and Spectra to come over to my house as soon as possible…"

…

…

…

…as it were, the son of Shoe and Gigi, Barty, a slightly rat-like experiment with a long, worm-like tail, Shoe's head form and overly long fingernails, had been staying over at Spooky's mansion as well. Opening up the door to let Spook and Spectra inside, they found Jack waiting for them with Gavrilo by his side. He motioned for them to come inside the living room and they stepped inside, sitting down in chairs.

"You know…" Jack let out a long, deep sigh. "I did some soul-searching today. And I've come to a realization that I need to take matters into my own hands…" He placed his paws together and spoke up. "Barty, you can't stand lawbreakers, so I'm glad you're here due to the fact that you're in police work. I have…a dilemma. You see…"

He grinned evilly. "I've realized something. The fact of the matter is…try as we might to deny it, there are traitors amongst us and I know how to deal with them. Barty, I'm afraid that your precious Vee is one of them."

Barty looked flabbergasted. "Wh-what?"

"She along with other experiments have been plotting to bring about the end of the Galactic Federal Armada. I need you to help me trap her and bring her to justice."

Barty blinked in surprise, but he bit his lip. "If…if you're sure of this…"

"I'll give you undeniable proof of her wrongdoing so that you aren't mistaken." Jack assured him. "Now can I count on your help? And yours too, Spooky? Spectra?"

The two of them nodded, as did a slightly-reluctant-looking Barty. Jack nodded back at them. "Good…glad we had this chat…"

After they'd left, he turned to Gavrilo. "Let's get it all set up." He said. "Make the call."

…

…

…

…Voltrinnia, or as she was commonly known, Vee, yawned as she rubbed her golden eyes. What was she doing out so late anyway? This was dumb.

Her yellow fur contrasted greatly with the darkness of the hallways around her as her blue chest breathed in an out. She had Belle's head shape and could be almost as loud. Now though…she was being quiet.

She looked left and right, golden eyes gleaming. Jack had called her up, sobbing, saying he had been chased to Spooky's mansion and that she had been the only number he could remember calling in the haze of fear that was gripping him.

She could understand why…there was dust and damp all around…the pale candlelight was casting shadows on the walls and, even creepier, the floorboards creaked heavily as she walked.

Carefully she made her way down the hallway, looking left and right, left and right. She had to be careful, she thought. If whomever had taken Jack was inside, she needed-

She needed to be looking behind her. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance. A knife cut into her throat from behind and she let out a sickening gasping "HURKA" as blood spilled down. Jack calmly watched as she slid off the knife and hit the ground, her blue chest heaving up and down…

He moved her onto her stomach and held the knife up. "I want you to know I appreciate your sacrifice." He announced before he thrust the knife in…

…

…

…

…Barty looked horrified as he held aloft the little black balloons in his hands. "A DRUG MULE?" He whispered softly as he sat by Vee's body, eyes wide with horror, his ratty hair quivering with sorrow. "Why didn't I know about this? How deep does this conspiracy of crime go?"

"Now you see why we need your help. You're the one with all those fancy tools for investigating criminal activity. But they're all in your garage and you're the only one who knows the password." Jack explained as Barty had his back turned to him and Gavrilo, Spooky and Spectra.

Barty nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand…" He said, turning around. "I'll go enter "47328" into the garage right away."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Jack announced, walking forward and placing his hand on Barty's shoulder. "You see…"

SCHLUCK!

"Your services aren't required anymore."

Barty fell back, landing on Vee's opened-up chest with a THWA-SCHLUD as Jack looked down at the knife. He was amazed at how little guilt he felt for doing that.

"Well…it's time we got started." He told Spectra and Spooky. He then turned to Gavrilo. "Head to the garage. You two…" He turned back to Spectra and Spooky. "It's time to get to work on kidnapping."

Yes, it all had gone well.

Or so they thought. Outside the house, Hyena, who had seen it all unfold, watched in horror and then took off running as fast as he could. He had seen Vee sneaking off and had been stalking her for a long time, trying to work up the courage to ask her out. In a way, he was glad that he'd followed her and horrified at the same time…

What would the others think?

…

…

…

…Stitch and Angel held each other's hands as they headed down the road, heading for their house.

"Can you believe it? They'll be married in two weeks!"

"One week and four five days, but I'm…I'm so proud of him!" Angel said happily. "He's really matured, I think…"

"I think all of us changed a little." Stitch admitted. "This new world we're in…it's Heaven."

"It is when I'm with YOU, boojibu!" Angel remarked, nuzzling his cheek as the stars twinkled overhead. "Ha! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!" The trees cast long shadows on the ground as a slightly chilling wind blew…

Specifically, blew their sense of smell downwind, keeping them from smelling who was approaching.

"What do you think we should buy for his gift?" Stitch asked.

"How about…" Angel put a finger to her lip. "A boat? They can go on a little cruise ship and have a banner at the back that says "Just Married"! Wouldn't that be something?"

"That would be very sweet." Stitch admitted.

"I think so too." A voice called out.

Stitch and Angel suddenly found themselves slammed up against each other's heads and all went dark.

…

…

…

…when they awoke, Green was standing there, looking down at them with her green-tinted black eyes as she frowned. "I had hoped you'd stay asleep for this." She admitted. "But I guess there's no getting around it…"

She held up one clawed hand and sighed. "Unfortunately our organization has plans and…to ensure that they go smoothly, you've got to be eliminated. By the way, don't try to break out of your bonds, they're carbon nanotube, specifically made to keep you still so I can finish things."

The two lovebirds looked around. They were in a dark grey room with a single light at the top, and tied tightly by the silvery nanotube to steel chairs.

"Wh-what do you want with us?" Angel demanded to know.

"It's not about what I want. It's about what my mom and dad want. It'll make them happy for things to go according to plan and for that you two will have to simply…cease to be." Green reached up and grabbed ahold of Angel's neck. "The problem is…I'm not sure how to kill you in a way that's fair. I mean, I don't want one of you to watch as the other one dies in front of them. I want to kill you both at the same time. But unfortunately, I have to make this messy so that Sandy will be so outraged…"

She sighed again. "For what it's worth…I wish I could make this quick. I think I'll just crush both your skulls at the same time. That will be sufficient."

The two experiments realized with horror that Green meant every word she was saying. They were going to die. Here, now. They looked at each other as Green walked around to their backs.

"Angel…boojibu…"

"I'm sorry…" Angel sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Green gave them a slightly confusing-looking look, as if she was unsure of what to say, then she closed her eyes and her claws began to dig into their heads, tearing through flesh and bone. Their bodies shuddered involuntarily as a CRUNCH noise rang throughout the empty room, followed up a slushing, slurping sound as gray matter dripped down from their heads along with blood.

Green wiped the blood and brains off her clawed hands on the walls and untied the two, then gently picked their bleeding, head-crushed forms up in her arms. Walking out the door which she opened with a single kick, she headed down a long hallway and towards a capsule-shaped thing at the end. Stepping inside, a warm light flowed over her…

Soon she found herself in a secret underground room that was hidden in outside of Stitch and Angel's house. Heading up a ladder and then sneaking in through the balcony outside, she laid them down upon the bed in a position so that they looked like they were sleeping next to each other, their eyes lingering on each other's faces, and then she nodded and headed back to the room, teleporting back to her parent's underground laboratory.

"There's a lot more work to do." She thought out loud to herself.

"I'd best get started." Jack thought out loud to himself as he adjusted the sights on his sniper rifle in his room. He nodded, satisfied with it, then held it up, rapping on a poster that read "Gun Control Means Using Both Hands", which was across from a poster that read "From My Cold Dead Hands: NRA 4 Life". The poster opened up to reveal a hidden compartment and he snuck the rifle inside.

Yes…there would be a lot of work to do indeed.


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Hyena panted heavily as he made his way across the field, the stars beginning to be suffocated by clouds one after another. He had to warn them…had to warn the others. But he'd been so frightened that he'd not bothered to see if they were following him. He'd been running nonstop for the past ten minutes and was out of breath. Completely and utterly out of breath.

"Got to…catch…catch my breath…" He gasped as he staggered over to a nearby fire hydrant and leaned against it, the bells atop his head gone…he'd ripped them off, though it had hurt him to do so, so that he could hold them in his paws and keep them from jingling and giving him away as he'd gone running.

Then he realized where he was. Legion's house!

Gasping in relief as well as being out of breath, he staggered to the door and banged as hard as he could. "Open! OPEN!" He shouted out as best he could, only it all came out in a harsh gasp. "For the love of GOD, 627, OPEN!"

The door opened and Legion stood there, looking slightly irate as Belle stood by his side, both wearing skimpy underwear. "What is it?" He asked.

"Jac-Jack…just m-murdered…murdered Vee…Vee and Barty…" Hyena gasped up.

Legion's eyes went wide. "You're certain of this?" He asked.

"You SAW?" Belle asked.

"Yes…wish…wish I hadn't, but I did…that little jerk-URK!"

Claws grasped his neck. Legion sighed sadly. "You can't know…I'm sorry, Hyena. I truly am…"

He was pulled inside the house…and his throat was too tired to cry out as Legion raised his claws high.

Watching from a window far away, the human's eyes narrowed and for brief moment, glowed…

…

…

…

… "This is awful." Grendella said softly as she paced outside the house, with Alex hard at work in the garden.

Sandy was utterly distraught. He'd locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out. All he could do was cry.

"He's been like this for days." She said to the British handyman. "There's got to be some way to cheer him up…"

"For something like this, you need to wait until he can't cry anymore. Then you've got to go to him." Alex insisted gently. "He needs to get his open sorrow out of the way."

"AAAAAAAAAHHH! RAAAAUUUUHHHHH!" Now bellows were coming from Sandy's room, horrid wailing screams of fury intermixed with sorrow.

"He's started screaming in between crying…" Grendella bit her lip. "…and I'm getting MARRIED to him. Uh…what am I going to do? There's no clue as to who did it…there are dozens of experiments with super strength all over the island and every single one of them who might have a motive has an alibi!" She added, looking down at the news report that the police had given her, as an affected party.

"Stitch and Angel had their heads crushed. Vee and Barty were stabbed in the heart. Hyena's throat was ripped open. Is there anything they have in common?" Alex inquired, raising a finger up in inquiry.

Grendella frowned. "…I don't know…I don't know…"

The door to Sandy's room slowly opened and Sandy walked out. He'd crushed his sunglasses into fine dust and scattered it in the wind as the hair atop his head blew about, whipping in the air. A horrifyingly dark look was on his face.

"I am going to find who murdered my mother and father." He spoke quietly. "I am going to find them…and I am going…to HURT them." He announced darkly, his paw's digits clenching into fists. "Hurt them…VERY…BADLY…"

Alex watched as Grendella and Sandy headed off, and he frowned slightly. "Sandy, you fool, you're playing right into his paws…" He growled darkly.

…

…

…

…Michael White frowned as he looked over the newspaper. "Crime Rate in state of Hawaii rises to 40%. Too high. FAR too high. Yes, granted, there were more experiments than humans, but this wasn't the cause. This wasn't just an ordinary crime rate…this was a hate crime rate. EXPERIMENTS were being targeted and beaten and attacked, robbed in their homes or on the street. The rate was steadily climbing higher and higher…

White knew why. Ever since more experiments had been made, now that they were in the majority, humans were beginning to be afraid. They felt that the experiments would start becoming all "Nazi-esque"…that they'd look down on humans as inferior and start shipping them off to CAMPS or something. It had essentially turned into a "get them before they get you" campaign throughout the islands.

"I'm going to have to do something about this." White thought to himself. He had no problem with stealing, but these actions were interfering with his work…and more importantly, young women were being targeted. That was just sick.

Flicking one lock of white hair, he then tossed the newspaper away after crumpling it up into a ball and leaned back in his chair in his office and began to think.

Meanwhile, quite far away from his office, there was another person who was deeply disturbed. Poor Junior was pale as a ghost as he walked down the hallways of school. People looking at him saw that something was wrong with him and some raised their hands or paws, eager to call out…but a good look at his eyes stopped them.

There was no light in them. Only a sad, deep darkness filled with horror. He had seen something terrible and there was absolutely nothing that they could do to cheer him up. Nothing.

He opened up his locker and saw Green approaching him, with Yuna by her side. "Hey Junior, what's wrong?"

Junior looked at her with a sad expression. It was like he wanted to cry, but the amount of crying he wanted to do was simply impossible…if he tried, he'd flood the whole school.

"Junior, what's wrong?" Yuna asked softly.

"…I had an awful, awful dream." He whispered. "I watched them…"

"What?"

"…they died and I had to take their souls away." Junior cried quietly, covering his eyes.

"What!" Yuna exclaimed, hair spiking out.

"I saw them all dead last night in my dreams and I had to take them away…" Junior spoke quietly. "To the Other Side…"

Green frowned deeply. "Junior, I'm so…I'm so sorry."

Junior lowered his head, sniffling slightly, then wiped his cute pink little nose on his arm and headed off. Sighing, Green walked into the gym to shoot some hoops since there was some free time before-

A CLANKING as the door was locked. Rupert and Ariel stood at the far back door and had a scythe in his paws. He growled at her. "My position as "Death" might be gone, but I see dreams too, and my experience means I see further than my son has. He will discover what I've already learned…that you're a murderer."

"…" Green folded her arms and sighed quietly. "I…I don't really…I'm sorry that you had to find out, but I can explain it all…"

A slinking form that was making it's way through the vents above looked down through the vent grille holes and waited for them to make a move. All she had to do was get them together…

Green walked to the right as Ariel and Rupert began to circle her. "It wasn't personal at all…it just had to be done. It's a necessary thing. I'm not a villain, neither are my parents…they've never steered me wrong before."

"Good parents don't ask their children to murder!" Rupert hissed angrily. "You disgust me…"

He and Ariel were inching towards her. She could tell they were ready to jump…that's it, she thought. A little bit more…

"Well…that's the way it has to be, then?" Green asked quietly.

"That's the way it is GOING to be!" Rupert yelled.

All of them jumped at her…but Green was faster than they had thought she was. VERY fast. She jumped through the air and thrust her clawed hands back at them, and burning ropes of fire surrounded them. They gasped as Green landed expertly on her taloned feet, pointing a black claw at them as the vent opened above and her father fell down, mechanical, spider-like legs extending from the metal backpack-like utility pack he wore.

"EXCELLENT, Green!" He announced happily, going to her side and lowering his body down to ruffle her hair. "Oh, I'm so proud of you." He said gently.

"What should I do with them? Gym's in half an hour." She remarked.

"Simple…I bring them to the laboratory." Zim announced, holding up a needle with a syringe. "You go about class as usual, alright?"

Green nodded eagerly and hugged Zim tightly before running off with a wave. Zim smiled sadly as he watched her go and he sighed deeply. "My little girl…" He spoke softly as he walked over to Rupert and Ariel, holding the needle filled with strange clear liquid up…

It went into their bloodstream very easily and sleep overtook them.

…

…

…

… "Having a conscience…"

"Yes?"

"…it gets unsettling. I tried to be soulless, but…I felt bothered." Green whispered to her mother and father. "They reminded me so much of you two."

"I honestly wish I could say it gets easier." Zim admitted quietly. "But it doesn't. I'd be lying if I say it does, and you know I would never lie to you, Green. Not ever." He swore. "After all, I am YOUR FATHER." He announced dramatically.

With THAT, Rupert and Ariel awoke to find themselves strapped to a table in Zim and Kila's lab…and familiar faces were surrounding them. Rupert knew all of them…all of them had been in on the murder of that Irken girl that he'd seen in his dreams.

"You are Major Arcana, and yet you're lending aid to murderers." Rupert growled hatefully at Snizzi, the Emperor, and Vassago, the Tower. "You DISGUST me."

The two nodded as Kila spoke up. "You don't…understand what we're doing…do you?"

"Your daughter murdered Stitch and Angel…what's there to understand!" Rupert growled, his fur standing on end, red eyes shining. "They gave me a second chance, I can NEVER forgive you for telling your daughter to do what she did!"

"…we don't expect you to." Zim said simply. "All of us…are part of a Clan. We made a pact. We stay together."

"You see, like you…we want our children to grow up good and just." Skoodge said as he patted Tenn on the back. They realized that the Irken female was pregnant…her tummy bulging slightly. "But our methods are…different."

"We're thieves." Bonnie admitted. "We know that we're very flawed, but what we plan to do…is for our children's sake."

"How can you say that murder is good for your children!" Ariel yelled out, her normally silent voice sounding more damning than theirs.

"In the end, you will understand." Kila insisted.

"I don't know what you've got planned, but the ends do not justify the means!" Rupert insisted.

"We'll see…won't we?" Vassago inquired.

"In the meantime, you'll just stay here, locked up." Skoodge informed him. "Don't worry, Tenn and I will try and take good care of you." He insisted, gently nodding his head.

"Wait a minute, Bonnie, are you really okay with-" Rupert began. But before he could, Skoodge moved forward and stuck a needle in his arm. He groaned as his head began to swim and he saw Skoodge injecting the same substance into his wife. Everything began to look…odd…it was like he was seeing all solid lines become waves and it was all becoming blurry.

His consciousness was swimming in and out but he could see the others leaving the laboratory and he and his wife were left alone with Skoodge and Tenn.

"We know you know about Jack. But we can't let you tell Bonnie and Clyde about him." Tenn said sadly. "Zim and Kila knew that Jack could be led to the dark side…that he wouldn't be able to handle seeing the exposure like your son could and did."

"We don't want to tell Bonnie and Clyde that their child wasn't strong enough to handle such an exposure to darkness." Skoodge admitted, shaking his head. "It would break their hearts. They had such high hopes for him."

"They'll figure it out eventually!" Rupert growled. "They are cunningly cunning!" He hissed, baring his teeth.

"Aren't you supposed to be a friend of theirs?" Skoodge asked, looking disappointed. "Why do you want them to suffer like that?"

"Letting them have false hope would be worse! It might be unpleasant, but it's usually better for people to know the truth!" Rupert protested.

"…you might be right." Skoodge admitted. "But it's too late for that. There's no getting out of this." He said quietly. "I'll still try and take good care of you here…what would you like to drink?" He asked.

"Skoodge!"

Skoodge turned his head to see Zim walking inside. "Don't fraternize with the enemy. They'll have company soon enough." He informed them. "Just get the Nightmare Generator ready."

"TH-THAT?" Skoodge asked. "Oh gee, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even on an inferior species, but…" He bit his lip as he looked at the white-furred twosome. "…very well."

Skoodge and Tenn headed over to a large doorway and opened it up. Rupert gulped in horror at the sight…it was a dark red machine with a control console embedded in the front, and a display screen appearing above. There were hook-like claws on spindly tentacles that were sticking out the top of the machine. Skoodge pressed a big blue button on the console and three of the tentacles shot up, hissing like snakes as they hovered in the air.

"I'm sorry about this." He apologized.

They came down and embedded themselves deep into Rupert and Ariel's skulls, making them gasp in pain…

And then dark pools of blackness swirled around their eyeballs, covering their vision completely before they slumped over.

"It's underway." Skoodge told Zim. "How many others should we prepare for?" He asked.

Zim tapped his lip thoughtfully. "…we'll wait and see." He announced before turning around to leave. "But if you kidnap them…they will come. They ALWAYS come…"

"Zim."

Zim looked back at Skoodge.

"I'm a doctor. Why are you making me torture people?" Skoodge asked quietly.

Zim was VERY quiet. Then he walked off.

…

…

…

…Green was lying in her bed as Zim sat next to her in a chair, reading a fairy tale as GIR lay next to HER. Zim cleared his throat again, then spoke up. "So to prove that the apple is safe, you bite the green side, and I'll bite the red side", the old crone told Snow White. And so Snow White took a bite of the apple, and she fell down to the ground…" Zim cleared his throat again and then tossed the book in the air, waving his fists. "BECAUSE SHE **LIIIIIIIED!** FILTHY HUUUUMAN WITCH!"

He then blinked and nervously grinned as GIR and Green clung to each other in fear. Deciding to defuse the situation, he ended the story. "But then Snow White woke back up and performed the Snow Triple Suplex, thus earning her the Heavyweight Title AND ending the Wicked Witch's threat forever! And she and the 12 Dwarves and Prince Charming all went out to get Tacquitos. The end."

"Yaaaayyyy!" GIR cheered.

"That was the best story ever!" Green decided.

"I know. I told it." Zim laughed. He then reached up and ruffled his daughter's head. "Now get some sleep, okay?"

Green bit her lip. "Dad…I felt bad about Stitch and Angel, even though Mom said both were sluts. But I felt WORSE about Jack. I mean, we…we **broke** him. He's a racist and a filthy idiot, but he's still just a smeet like I am. We made him into a killer. And now Junior's father and mother are locked up. Are we really doing the right thing?"

"Of course we are. Like I said, when have we lied to you?" Zim told her comfortingly. "Everything will be alright." He assured her, holding her hand and nodding gently.

He kissed her on the forehead, and she and GIR cuddled up beneath the covers. Zim climbed off the chair he'd been on and walked to the doorway, where Minimoose was floating.

"Squeak." Minimoose squeaked quietly.

"I KNOW." He said softly. "I…I can't keep doing this…it's…it's just…she's…" He bit his lip, then walked out of the doorway, Minimoose following solemnly behind him.

…

…

…

…Nick helped Lilo up the stairs as they walked down the long pathway. They stood in the middle of what appeared to be a galaxy, and a meteor shower was passing to their right as the stars twinkled all around them, winking at them, one at a time. Scattered around were various galaxies that gently swirled around as if some invisible stick was trying to swirl a milkshake right in the middle of the galaxy.

Nick smiled to take the view in and he sat down on the silvery, sparkling path that he and Lilo were walking on, taking her hand.

"You know, no matter how many times I see this…I never get tired of watching the stars." He told her. "Especially not when I'm with you."

"I'm worried, Nick." Lilo admitted. "I feel something awful is about to happen to Sandy. Something REALLY awful." She clung to him. "For Hyena and Angel I've grieved, but when I think of Stitch, I just…there's this awful **numbness**."

Lilo could literally not feel ANYTHING when she thought of her beloved angel who had come to bring her so much joy. The kindest angel God could have sent her had died. Her sorrow was so deep that her mind would not allow her body to feel it.

Nothing Nick could say…and he was not merely her husband but a dear old friend…would alleviate her sorrows. So he just hugged her. "I won't let Sandy die." Nick insisted. "I WON'T."

The two watched the stars twinkle about and Lilo sighed. "I wish I had your serenity."

"Serenity?" Nick laughed gently. "It's not serenity that makes me what I am. I'm just a reckless and really lucky!" He held her close. "I jumped headfirst into your world and will always be better for it…and if I'd never rushed headfirst into things when this all began all those years ago, I wouldn't have met Joe and saved my family, I wouldn't have opened up that store in Sonic's world, I wouldn't have helped Will and Helen find their dreams, I…I wouldn't have met YOU." He kissed her on the cheek. "My luck is gonna protect you and me, and I'm going to find a way to save them." He assured her. "They're going to be back. We just have to keep being good people and things will go our way. That's how it's always worked before."

"Well, we have been lucky." Lilo admitted. "I mean, we have a large _ohana_…and all of them are so kind to each other. I can't imagine any of them being murderers…we've left so much of our darkness behind."

"We'll figure out who's behind it and save our iohana. ALL of them." Nick insisted. "But for now…" He took a deep breath and watched as the stars continued to wink at them. "Let's just enjoy this moment."

And they did.

…

…

…

…Heartwing looked left and right, frowning. The skies were too…grey. There was nothing but clouds and a dreary, misty rain. The whole island was feeling the loss of it's former "king and queen", you could say.

However Heartwing wasn't stupid. He was not merely experiment 421, but The Temperance of the Major Arcana. His power was in healing and in bringing harmony to that which was out of sync, all due to the immense light he had within him. That power allowed him to follow a darkness…an angry, rage-filled urge that had been coming from Sandy.

Sandy had taken upon himself to call a very large meeting and had asked all of Kokaua Town to meet him at the beach. Heartwing watched from a rooftop, behind a chimney, as Sandy frowned deeply behind the large podium he stood behind. People huddled together under umbrellas and raincoats and looked up at his solemn face.

"Rupert and Ariel are missing. Hyena was murdered. As was my mother and father. I had originally planned to offer a reward for whichever cop caught and locked away the ones who did these deeds, but…my mother and father will still be dead." He spoke quietly. "So…" His claws dug into the podium. **"I am offering a fifty million dollar reward for whomever KILLS the monster that slew my parents and my teacher, and the one who kidnapped my dear friend and his family!"**" Sandy roared out loudly.

Murmurs and gasps of shock. Heads whipped left and right. A BOUNTY? Could he DO that? No, he couldn't…but he was doing it all the same. And instantly some people saw dollar signs and knew this was their chance to cash in on somebody's grief.

But somebody else was seeing an opportunity. A calm smile on his face, Jack adjusted the sight on his sniper rifle once again, the thing gleaming black. He was hiding in the window of another person's house, specifically, Sparky…who had sadly met the same end as his daughter. He had not had time to scream either.

Licking some blood off his lip, Jack peered through the lens. He was glad he'd gotten rid of the laser light, it would have given him away. Nobody would know about this.

Heartwing, however, frowned deeply in the direction of Sparky's house. There was a feeling…a horrid, cold determination underlined with murderous intent. And when he focused, he could hear Jack mumbling to himself. "Right through the head, right through the head…"

He had to stop it. He knew what he had to do. The little emerald dragon's wings shot out and he spiraled through the air, fists clenched, eyes sparkling as she soared out…

"And if the murderer does not reveal themselves then-"

FWHOOSH!

_**BANG!**_

Sandy gasped in horror as silver blood splattered on his form and he saw Heartwing lying down on the ground to his right. He immediately knelt down by him and shook him as people screamed and looked around and the cops that had brought Sandy to the beach armed themselves, heading out to go find whomever had shot.

"Heartwing!" Sandy screamed. "Little buddy!"

"For…forgive…" Heartwing whispered, reaching up and holding Sandy's furry blue cheek. "Forgive them…" He begged.

"Heartwing, what are you-"

His friend gripped more tightly. _"FORGIVE…"_ He insisted.

And with that, his head fell back, mouth opening slightly as his hand hit the sandy beach.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Jack lowered the gun and closed the window. He sank down the wall next to the window in the recently-murdered Sparky's house and he looked up at the ceiling with his bloodshot, dark purple eyes, which were now tearing up.

Not him. Not 421. He had argued with him before, yes, but he had not truly wanted to HURT the little dragon. Heartwing had always been so kind and accepting of others. It was RARE for him to yell at anybody, Jack had only seen him do it to him and a few other "bullies"…people like Pitt and Jolie who got their kicks out of thrashing poor schmucks on the street.

He felt sickened to be included in the same category as the stupid rooster-crested Pitt, and even sicker that he'd killed an innocent being who had not actually done anything to deserve the death he'd been dealt. Furthermore, a kid…a f—king KID! He'd killed a little boy.

Jack began to sob, tears running down his cheeks.

"C'mon, YOU didn't KNOW he WAS going TO get IN the WAY."

He ignored this voice within him and let out a long, wailing groan, kneeling over, head touching the floor as he continued to sob.

"God forgive me," he sobbed. "God forgive me. I'm too young…how did I end up like this?"

…

…

…

…he stood in a room, his three-clawed hands placed together as he prayed quietly in front of a shrine in the dark room. He slowly opened his eyes and turned around to face the British youth in the doorway, smiling, his white, unseeing eyes glittering. His green skin and curled, almost balled antennae along with his short height of 4'8 contrasted greatly with the 5'9 British boy with a necklace around his form.

"I like your outfit." Alex Hardie admitted, looking the Hierophant over. There was a white robe upon his body, with a silver Tallest-esque line along the bottom and a belt to match. He wore a necklace with a green orb on the end around his neck, and he was tending to a large banner on the wall, with colors of green, white and blue. The three colors represented the Irken's "Holy Trinity", the personalities of the three mightiest and most powerful Irkens in the universe who had been Gods-on-Irk…one had been passionate and understanding. Another had been courageous and loyal. Another had been clever and devious. It was around this trinity that the Irken religion based their lead upon…the worship of their traits of their "Imperial Ancestors". In looking far back to the past they could find ultimate truth and redeem themselves as they moved into the future. "But I want to know something."

"Yes?" Darth asked, his voice smoother than silk.

"You're a man of peace, aren't you?"

Darth nodded firmly.

"Yet you've hired a fifteen-year-old who can destroy the planet and who makes Jack the Ripper look like a bloody gent." Alex snapped. "What proof do you have that I won't screw this up?"

"You don't need proof when you have faith, my boy." Darth said calmly. "Also, I have reason to believe that Legion might be allowing his conscience to nag at him. Soon, we'll see results. For now though, we must be vigilant, but still keep our distance." He rubbed his chin. "Ace is up to something as well. He's been visiting Niihau to speak with Pleakley a little too much. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?"

"Alright." Alex said frimly.

…

…

…

…"Alright, everyone listen up!"

Patch held a pencil and a snazzy metal clipboard up as she looked out at the other kids in their little group of friends. Grey stood to the side, looking very…old. "Charlie needs to be taken care of since Heartwing is…no longer with us. He's been crying and sobbing almost nonstop for an entire week. We can't allow this. We need to be THERE for him." She said resolutely. "Now I've divided the week up amongst us all. I've got Monday, Jack, you have Tuesday. Yuna, you've got Wednesday and Green, you've got Thursday. Gavrilo, Friday, you're up. Echo, you've got Saturday and on Sunday Grey's agreed head over to his house."

Heartwing had died two days ago and Charlie had been completely devastated with grief, and Sandy…well, I'd best well you about it when you're sitting down.

"Why do we have-I have Tuesday? I wanted Wednesday." Jack remarked. "I've got this big-"

"Jack, don't be a **Richard**." Echo snapped. "Charlie TOTALLY needs our help."

"Your one-man war against homosexuals, liberals and protestants can WAIT. I mean, there are more important things to worry about…people have freakin' DIED!" Patch snapped, putting her paws on her hips and frowning deeply.

"And they still haven't caught the sniper OR Stitch and Angel and Hyena's murderer…and to top it off Junior's family is gone." Green said sadly, shaking her head. "For five days nobody's heard anything from them!"

"Junior is alive, I'm sure, and so are his parents." Jack insisted. "If their bodies haven't been found yet, there's hope, right?"

"I'm glad you can be so optimistic." Grey admitted quietly.

"Not optimistic. Just realistic." Jack insisted. "Stitch and Angel had a lot of enemies and many skeletons in their closet. Ariel is pretty innocent…I suspect Rupert was the main target and Ariel was snatched up by mistake. Most likely the kidnapper/murderer is suffering a crisis of conscience."

"How so?" Echo inquired.

"From what I can gleam of his M.O…" Jack went on knowledgably, "He seems to be targeting people who've got big bad skeletons in their closet. All of us are chaotic in nature, true, but some are even worse than others. Rupert's past sins are noteworthy, but the murderer doesn't think of Ariel as being a sinner. I think they'll stay alive until he works up the courage to kill them."

"What makes you so sure the murderer's a GUY?" Patch inquired.

"Serial killers and dentists are always male." Jack explained with a shrug.

"He's got a point." Echo admitted.

"And the reason Wednesday is important to me is because I have a DATE." Jack spoke up.

Everyone looked at him, eyes wide. "You've got a date?" Echo asked. "A DATE?"

"Yep!" Jack laughed. "For the past four days I've been-"

BRIIIING!

Jack blinked and then dove into his large blue backpack, his legs kicking in the air as everyone watched him fumble through the stuff. "Here we go! Ha!" He climbed back out and turned it on. "Y'ello? Sydney! How are you?" He asked happily, eyes lighting up. "Oh, that's so awesome! Okay, I can't wait to see you!" He laughed. Then he blinked, then grinned broadly. "No, I can't wait to see YOU more! Okay, you win!" He laughed, turning the bright green cell phone off.

"What's going on?" Patch inquired. "You going to her house?"

"No, she's coming to my house! TONIGHT!" Jack announced happily. He was practically floating on air. "I hope that Mom and Dad play it cool…"

"When did you meet this Sydney?" Gavrilo inquired.

"Oh, I haven't actually MET her…" Jack shrugged "But her cousin goes to school with me and Sydney saw me at PTA meeting and worked up the courage to call me up a while ago." He grinned again. "She thinks I'm really hot!"

"Well, forgetting your muscular dystrophy and the purple bloodshot eyes you have, you do have this dark handsomeness about you." Green admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"We've been talking all week and we TOTALLY have the same things in common!" Jack went on happily. "We both have NRA memberships, we both listen to Rush Limbaugh's old show on CD, we both think that Sean Penn couldn't act his way out of a paper bag AND she agreed with me on my radio show! All babies DO wanna be borned!"

_**"She only deals in quality narcotics and guns…got a Mexican wallet made from real-mex-i-caaaans, hiiiiis…coooooon…servative girlfriend! Got a tiny little heart fulla passion, hiiiiis…coooooon…servative girlfriend! Every Friday they go liberal bashiiiiin'!"**_ Grey sang out.

"What kind of lunatic would go out with YOU?" Yuna asked.

"THIS kind of lunatic!" Jack said, diving back into his backpack and pulling out a picture of a hot-looking red-furred experiment with long yellow hair at the top of her head, pink lips, and lovely earrings.

"WOW. She's pretty." Echo remarked.

"I like her earrings. They're MOONS." Grey commented cheerily.

"If she kisses half as good as her picture does, tonight is gonna be AMAZING." Jack said happily. It was moments like this when he began to feel normal again…calm and happy. He had been completely distracted from his plans by this newfound love and couldn't wait to see her in person, to take her in her arms and have their arms and lips-

He realized how hot he felt and her nervously blushed as Patch spoke up once more. "Right, well, class starts in half an hour…see you, everyone!"

…

…

…

…Bonnie and Clyde saw that Jack had gotten all dressed up in a pretty white shirt with pants to match, and a fine pair of black shoes. He adjusted his long-sleeve white shirt and looked at the mirror in the living room. "Is my hair okay?" He asked for the tenth time.

"Yes honey, your hair looks fine." Bonnie insisted as she stood behind the kitchen counter across from him while Clyde got up from his thick red chair.

DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

"She's here! Quick, get out…no wait, she'll probably want to meet you…" Jack frowned. "Just…don't do anything too embarrassing!" He insisted, rushing to the door and quickly reaching into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a "Sexy-Back Breath Spray" and sprayed it into his mouth.

"Just relax and be yourself, alright?" Bonnie insisted gently as she walked over and handed him a bunch of blue roses. She nodded, then stood by Clyde as Jack took a deep breath…

And then opened the door.

Sadly, when he saw who was there, he wasn't so happy. It was a HUGE, SMELLY, **FAT** cow with a red bow on its head and a nametag hanging from its large neck that read "Sydney". A heart-shaped balloon that read "I Heart Jack" was tied around the neck as well, and Esmeralda, Jolie, Pele and Hiaka were standing there, laughing as they took pictures.

"MRRROOOOOOOHHH." "Sydney" announced.

Jack's face fell as his mouth opened slightly, dropping the flowers.

"Enjoy your date, Jack!" Esmeralda howled happily.

"Oh…my…GOD…" Clyde gasped.

"Somebody's gonna PAY for this…" Bonnie growled, eyes narrowing.

"…this was all a JOKE?" Jack whimpered.

"Yeeeeep!" Esmeralda sniggered.

"Well…I…I just…HA! I'm…I'm not bothered at all!" Jack insisted, putting on a brave face. "It'll take a lot more than-"

"Go on, kiss your GIRLFRIEND, Jack!" Pele and Hiaka urged.

Well, that did it. The levee on his emotional stability broke and poor Jack curled up into a fetal position as the girls took off, hooting with laughter.

…

…

…

… "So let me see if I have this right…" Eclipse remarked as he looked at Bonnie, a nonexistent eyebrow arched up. "The cow was wearing MAKE-UP?" He began to snicker.

"My son was DEVASTATED!" Bonnie growled angrily.

"Yes-and-uh…" Eclipse tried to compose himself as he and Bonnie stood in his office. He was, as it were, Vice Principal and in charge of Disciplinary Measures. "And-and what is it you want me to do?"

"Look, I know that my son has not been the most polite student, what with the "Kid Rush" show and his attempts to organize a gun rally in school and his attack on "Planned Parenthood" three weeks ago…"

"And forcibly inserting silverware into, and I quote, "Jumba's Ruskie Butt". Eclipse added. "…which was actually PRETTY funny."

"Yeah, he couldn't sit down for **five weeks!**" Bonnie remarked, snickering. "But that's not why I'm here, to brag about how I taught him to do that during our camping trip." Bonnie took a deep breath. "What those girls did was sadistic, and I am sure that your GIRLFRIEND was the one who thought it up!"

"Obviously, the plan seems deviously clever. First they'd have to find a cow…then…" He sniggered. "And-and drive it to your house after putting make-up on it…" Eclipse rubbed his chin, his purple-colored chest scales and claws gleaming as his slightly forked tongue licked his lips. "I could go for some filet mignon, actually. Do you still HAVE that cow?"

"ARGH!" Bonnie growled angrily and stood up, picking up her black purse and storming out of the door.

Jack, meanwhile, was sitting with Gavrilo outside the school on a bench. Noticing that he had his head hung and he was VERY still, Jolie, Pele and Hiaka and Esmeralda thought he was dead, and approached from the front.

"He hasn't talked at all." Gavrilo spoke up. "He's basically gone fetal."

"…we're sorry, it was just a JOKE." Esmeralda remarked. "C'mon, lighten up!"

"…" He didn't even look up.

"Look, in a few weeks, you'll be LAUGHING about this." Jolie insisted, patting him on the head before walking off.

Bonnie saw the girls leave and her eyes became slits as she hid behind a nearby palm tree.

Those girls…would pay.

…

…

…

… "UN-BEL-IEV-ABLE!" Bonnie screamed. "UN-BE-FUCKIN' LEV-ABLE!"

She was pounding away with a knife at a ham and slicing chunks of it up. "They were all over the hallways…and he was LAUGHING!" Bonnie hissed. "That stupid dragon was LAUGHING!"

Clyde held his wife by the shoulders. "Honey, careful…"

"How DARE they!" Bonnie growled, slamming the knife down so deep it went THROUGH the cutting board and into the countertop. "How…**DARE**…they!"

"Well if he's not going to do anything, what can we do? Kids can be cruel at this age…but I'm sure Jack will bounce back!"

_"WAAAAAUUUUHHHHHGGGHHHH!"_ Jack sobbed from his room upstairs.

"See? I brought him soup yesterday and he couldn't even make a sound!" Clyde said optimistically. "Everything's going to be alright."

"…are you trying…to calm…me down?" Bonnie whispered dangerously, turning her head to glare intently into Clyde's small black eyes.

"No…I…I just don't think it leads anywhere GOOD when you get like this." Clyde remarked calmly.

"Get like **what**?" Bonnie growled.

"Er…" Clyde began to sweat. "Y'know…"

"No. I don't." She whispered.

"Er…well…uh…" Clyde bit his lip.

"If I have a problem…I would _**love**_ for you to explain it to me…" Bonnie whispered, eyes narrowing into blue slits, glinting evilly.

"Er…uh…you know…I think I hear a raccoon on the roof, I'm gonna go shoo him away…" Clyde mumbled, running off as Bonnie frowned and then turned away, heading up the stairs and going towards Jack's room.

Jack was on his bed, tears falling down his cheeks to make a small puddle on his bed sheets. He was curled up in a slightly fetal position and Bonnie's eyes glowed slightly as she spoke up.

"I want…locations." She whispered. "I dunno where those girls live and Eclipse won't tell ME anything. Where…do…they…live?"

Jack just whimpered.

"Alright…" Bonnie held up a phonebook. "I've gotta list of all the streets in this thing. You just point when we reach their place." She whispered in a barely-suppressed tone filled with rage and fury. She sat down in a chair next to Jack and opened up the book…

…

…

…

… "In life, it is important to understand what it is you really want." Michael White explained to the young, black-haired, glasses-wearing kid in a blue striped t-shirt that was sitting before him on a bench in the local mall's "Sneakers 'N Stuff". "You **THINK** you want something because the sinister force of advertising has **conditioned** you to want it." He told the kid, spreading his gloved hands apart.

"I WANT the PUMP!" The kid growled.

White's eye twitched and he sighed, his golden jacket gleaming. "I don't GOT the pump. I got the Nike Valkyries, the kind that K-Mart himself wears!" He said, holding up the box with the shoes inside.

"I **WANT** the **PUMP!**" The kid snapped.

White's pink eyes narrowed. "Listen you arrogant little **TWAT**! There are kids **YOUR** age over in **ASIA** sowing your fuckin' shoes together so that their family can have a bowl of rice to **EAT** tonight!" He roared in the kid's face.

"This is the worst idea in the history of all worst ideas." Nick remarked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Your diabolical half happens to be a genius, especially at revenge." Bonnie remarked. "This is going to work just fine."

Nick sighed, then tapped on the window of the store. "Fine, but now we're even and I don't owe you for the Pottery Barn incident."

White turned his head and saw Bonnie and Nick there and dropped the box of shoes, heading out the mall to speak with them. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing My-Bonnie-Lies-About-Her-Taxes and Nick-Nick-Nick-Na-Nick-Nick-Nick, Nickelodeon?"

"...don't ever say that again...**MICHAEL**." Nick muttered angrily. "Bonnie needs to get somebody back. Specifically Pele, Hiaka, Jolie and Esmeralda."

"Well…luckily for you, I happen to keep tabs on the hottest girls in town." White laughed evilly, pulling out a few photos of their houses with them in the picture as well. Pele and Hiaka had skimpy outfits that had "x's" on the front of their chests, showing off some decent cleavage. Pele had a firespout on her head, blue stripes running down her well-sculpted female body and a black jumpsuit with hot-rod flames upon it. Hiaka had furless, shiny skin with pale green hair and a black jumpsuit that had a swirling cascade symbol, the symbol for water. Esmeralda had white hair and yellow eyes with black pupils, much like a cat, with a small, triangular-shaped nose and sharp black claws. She had ears pointed upwards and very large…tracts of land. She almost always wore pink underwear that read "Juicy", which was the only kind of pants she DID wear.

Jolie was a slightly-dark-skinned human girl with long dark hair, and a face that was VERY pretty, yet also somewhat selfish. It was like, if she was an actor, the movie HAD to cast her as the main character or it wouldn't work.

White then jabbed his head to the side and they turned to see Hiaka coming out of a nearby store with a lot of fancy shampoo.

"Oh yes…she just LOVES that beautiful hair of hers, doesn't she?" White whispered evilly.

…

…

…

…Jack was sitting on the couch in Green's house, sniffling and crying. Green frowned slightly, trying to think of something to say. She was working TWO shifts now, trying to cheer both Sandy up AND Jack. Not even watching Jack's favorite cartoon, "South Park", was cheering him up. There was a wheelchair next to him and he had an automatic speaker device in his lap which would speak for him…the few times he COULD get out sentences.

Green changed the channel.

"Another attack leveled on City Hall today after a bill was passed allowing Experimental American couples the right to Medicare…"

Green turned the dumb thing off and sighed. "Come on, Jack." Green insisted gently, patting Jack on the back. "You're gonna be alright. You've got to get your life back."

"…WAAAAUUUUHHHH…" Jack covered his eyes and began to sob even louder than he'd been sobbing before, shaking his head.

"Oh…got you thinking about your life, didn't I?" Green realized. "Sorry…uh…hmm…" She thought about what he could do, then went to a nearby countertop and took off an ant far with a green cover. She headed back to the couch and sat down, placing the ant farm on the tabletop in front of Jack. "That's my ant farm my dad gave me. I've had it for five weeks. I know all the ant's names and love each and every one of them." She informed him.

Green then walked into the kitchen, opened up a drawer and pulled out a small hammer. Nodding in satisfaction, she headed back to the couch and handed Jack the hammer. "Here. Go to town." She offered happily. "You can pretend they're all liberals."

Jack tapped in a quick report into the speaking device on his lap. "…everything I love always turns into a **COW**! WHY?"

He then began to sob and had to cover his face.

Green sighed and then put the ant farm back. "Okay, I've got a better idea. You might like this. Ark? Our Asian History teacher? He sat in Beef Stew…THEN spilled YELLOW lemonade all over his crotch. It was a **PERFECT STORM** of humiliation. Kids were coming from all over town to point and laugh at him!" She told Jack excitedly.

Jack slowly turned his head to look at her and typed another message into the machine. "…was he able to get the pants clean?" The machine asked for him.

"Well…haaahhh…" Green sighed and gently picked Jack up in her arms. "C'mon…let me take you back home." She offered, placing him in the wheelchair and wheeling him out.

…

…

…

… "So how wuz school?" Bonnie asked Charlie after Charlie headed over to Jack's house in HIS attempt to cheer Jack up, since one of the best way HE got happy again was in seeing his friends happy…AND he'd brought a lot of balloons.

"It was alright. But…something weird happened on the way to school." Charlie admitted. "Hiaka? One of Yin and Yang's kids? She was riding her motorcycle to this ice cream shop by the bus stop and when she tried to take her shell-shaped helmet off, well…" He bit his lip. "Apparently she COULDN'T."

Bonnie grinned inwardly but pretended to know nothing. "Oh? What happened?"

"Well…apparently…somebody stuck ten pounds of bubble gum in her hair." Charlie informed her, frowning deeply. "We tried to help her out, but in the end, Grey had to cut off all her hair with his claws." Charlie put a finger to his lip. "We never realized she had such a TINY head before…"

Bonnie nodded and Charlie headed up to Jack's room. As soon as he was gone, she punched the air and began to do the "In Your Face" dance on the spot.

"La-la-la-la-la-la-la, hope you get well soon! La-la-la-la-la-la-la, have a heart-shaped balloon!" Charlie sang, handing Jack a heart-shaped balloon.

"Yes, thank you, all of my problems will be solved with a heart-shaped balloon!" Jack's machine spoke up.

"Ya just gotta keep havin' that positive outlook." Charlie insisted.

Typity-type-type.

"This thing BLOWS at sarcasm."

"…uh…how about I make you a milkshake?"

Bonnie, meanwhile, was at the phone downstairs. "Hello?"

"Ready for round two?" White's voice whispered. "Allow me to give you 's current hotel room…"

…

…

…

…Bonnie grinned as she climbed up the ladder to the window of the hotel room, seeing Pele's belongings strewn out across the light purple-painted room. A small lamp sitting by a black-blanketed bed and a TV made it seem cozy…but the dozens of little "Invader Zim", "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" and "Squee" dolls all around the room stood out most of all.

"Why, I wouldn't be surprised if she even has NAMES for all the dolls…" Bonnie whispered. She then grinned even more broadly than before. "Heh-heh-heh…"

…

…

…

…Grey calmly closed the book before him. "And that's why the term is, "the foreigner does it in earnest". Now I'll see you all tomorrow and be sure to have Rupert, Ariel, Hyena, Stitch, Angel and Heartwing in your prayers."

He nodded as one by one the students left and he bit his lip, concerned. It was almost the end of the school year and he would soon have to go to his summer job, meaning he wouldn't be able to look in on the others as often as he'd like.

As he walked out of his room he slung his book bag over his shoulder and noticed Yuna was talking to Pitt in the hallway. The jerk happened to be the Janitor. Luckily she never kept anything in her locker.

"How about you hand me your lunch money?" He asked her eagerly.

"Hhayaku inaku nareyo". Yuna swore. This was a saying that happened to be the Japanese equivalent of "Eff off".

Pitt slammed his hooved hand on the locker in front of her, blocking her from going away. His eyes narrowed. "You know how this works. I take your lunch money and you get protected from…accidents…that might happen around the school."

"I already gave my money to you. No wait, I put my money in a piggybank, it just LOOKS like you." She snapped.

Pitt frowned angrily and was about to speak when Yuna's palm shot forward and struck right at a certain point in his arm. He howled and fell to the ground, rolling around madly as Yuna gave a smirk and walked off.

"Karate-knowing BITCH!" Pitt snarled.

"THAT I learned from Chuck Norris." She corrected, walking back over to him. She then kicked him square in the back several times. "AND-THIS-I-LEARNED-FROM-MOVIES." With that, she smiled proudly and headed off down the hallways as people nearby cheered.

Grey then saw Bonnie walking down the hallway and he blinked before calling out her name. "Bonnie!"

Bonnie turned and smiled at him. "Hey Grey, what's shakin'?"

"Finished with my class…now I've got a break. Say…what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm picking up things for Jack, so he can catch up on his schoolwork."

"Then you're gonna need a TRUCK." Grey admitted, shrugging. "Because he has been missing a LOT."

"Everything thought it was VERY funny how my son was dissed. Well they'd better start tinkin' TWICE." Bonnie snapped, eyes glinting.

At that same moment, three blocks away, directly across from Grey who was able to hear out an open window, their came a shriek. A piercing shriek as Pele began to scream and bawl. Every single one of her doll's heads had been cut off and nailed to the wall of her room, nails poking out through the eyes.

"NOOOOOO! NAAUUUUUHHH!" Pele sobbed as "Squeely Deely" and "Nnykins" stared down accusingly at her from the ceiling.

"What the…" Grey turned to look out the window. "Was that…PELE? It WAS!" He gasped. He turned back to look at Bonnie…

…she was gone.

…

…

…

…when Grey opened up the door to Bonnie, Clyde, Jack and Grendella's place, he found Grendella was trying to get Jack to eat some soup.

"C'mon, it's your favorite! C'mon big brother, you gotta eat…you need this chicken noodle soup!"

Jack frowned slightly and looked away, seeing Grey was here. He blinked in recognition.

"Is your mom home?"

He nodded and pointed a digit into the kitchen. Grey nodded back and headed into the kitchen, seeing Bonnie was making sauce for spaghetti. "I'll make this quick since you're obviously a very busy person what with cooking, cleaning, stealing…**eviscerating dolls!**"

"Whaddya mean?" Bonnie asked innocently.

"I know what you're up to!" Grey growled. "It…is…sick."

"I've no idea whatcha talking about."

"That poor girl…had to be carried…out of her room…wrapped in a blanket."

"Oh, that's awful." Bonnie said with barely suppressed glee in her eyes.

"I know what you're really up to. Sooner or later you've got to talk to me about this!" Grey remarked as Bonnie headed for the bathroom and closed the door. "Did it feel GOOD to cut through little Squee's **neck**?" He snarled.

Silence.

**"BONNIE!" **Grey yelled. He then kicked the door and it shattered into tiny pieces…revealing she was gone. He immediately growled and went straight into the living room, seeing Clyde was reading a newspaper. Picking Clyde up over his head, he slammed him down in front of the bathroom and pointed out the window. "Your **WIFE** has been stalking the experiments who hurt your son like a **VIGILANTE! **" He announced.

"Wh-what? She **HAS?**" Clyde asked, eyes widening.

"YES!" Grey growled, holding his clawed hands in the air. "She's nailed two already and she just climbed out the bathroom window to go after the third!"

"Er…well, this sounds like a lot of supposition…" Clyde remarked.

"In other words, you don't believe me…"

"No, I do, you and your parents are honest, it's just…" Clyde bit his lip. "When Bonnie gets like this, we have to keep a cautious and distant eye on her."

"So you're not gonna help, in other words." Grey growled angrily. "Fine, I'll stop her MYSELF!"

…

…

…

…Bonnie grinned in a nasty fashion as she tip-toed across the sidewalk, looking left and right. Giggling in an evil fashion, she walked up the steps of a large building that had the sign "Not a church. **DEAL** with it" on the front, which was where Esmeralda spent a lot of her free time along with the Wyrd Sisters engaging in Satanic sacrifices. She did vigilante work, tracking down criminals and seducing them only to lead them to a cruel and VERY twisted end.

Bonnie smiled happily to herself as she looked around, seeing nobody was inside and not hearing anyone. She took off her purse and pulled out what she needed, a large can, and began to pour out it's contents all over the floor of the "Not-Church", singing as her hips swayed left and right and she shook what Jumba had given her.

_**"A ella le gusta la gasoliiiina (dame mas gasoliiiina!) Como le encanta la gasoliiina (dame mas gasoliiiina!) A ella le gusta la gasoliiiina (dame mas gasoliiiina!) Como le encanta la gasoliiiina (dame mas gasoliiina!)"**_

She giggled evilly again. "Hee-hee-hee! Now I know why Carmen likes singing in Spanish so much…it's FUN! Dame mas gasoliiina!"

After finishing dousing up the whole place, Bonnie then calmly held up a small cherry bomb with a long fuse and stuck it at the top of a podium, inside of a small hole. Smirking, she ran out the church, closed the door, then raced down the sidewalk and ducked behind the police station, climbing up onto the roof to get a good view.

Soon she was treated to a lovely view of a magnificent bonfire as a sobbing Esmeralda banged her head against the ground and wailed. Bonnie cackled madly at this sight. But she wasn't done. Not yet.

…

…

…

…Jolie had been the last one to get. And she awoke to find herself tied to the ground. One moment she'd been drinking at a bar, the next…

She gulped with horror as she saw a wild-eyed, grinning Bonnie behind the wheel of the steamroller at the end of the parking lot where she was tied to. Bonnie spoke up, her grin the work of demons. "This is fer breaking my son's heart." She growled.

She began to drive the orange steamroller closer and closer, cackling madly. Jolie began screaming, trying desperately to break out of the chains that tied her down, but it was no use.

And then he appeared, rushing in front of the steamroller's path and holding out his arms.

"Bonnie, STOP!" Grey announced.

"G-Grey, get outta heah!" Bonnie shouted. "I don't wantcha seein' me like this!" She insisted as the steamroller came closer.

"You have to STOP." Grey insisted.

"I can't!" Bonnie sobbed. "I've gone too far!"

Grey then sighed and gently walked forward on his taloned feet. He placed his clawed hands up and pressed against the drum of the steamroller. It stopped in place on the spot and he looked up at Bonnie, his black, green-tinted eyes gazing deep into her blue ones. "Bonnie." He spoke gently.

"…I…need to go home." Bonnie whimpered quietly, covering her face after turning the thing off. Grey helped her out and she slowly walked away as Grey untied Jolie.

It had hit her. Hard. She understood, **really** understood what she was doing…and she began walking down the sidewalk, heading home.

Jack was inside of his bed, looking at the ceiling. Half an hour later, Bonnie walked inside of his room and sat down on the chair in front of his bed and took a deep breath.

"I need to say this…I've been an awful motha." Bonnie admitted, bowing her head.

"…huh?" Jack turned his head, blinking. "How's that…how's that possible? DAD'S the one who always says something is wrong with me."

"I just…" She covered her face and shook her head. "When those girls humiliated you and made you upset, instead of trying to comfort you and help you deal with your feelings, I…I just got caught up in anger and went on a rampage!"

"…what?"

"All I cared about was making those girls pay…and they DID, but what frightens me is…how much I enjoyed CRUSHING them and watching them SUFFER…I tapped inta this dark, ugly place inside and I was acting like…well…I dunno!" She looked up, tears in her eyes. "I suppose…**YOU** on a bad day…" She blinked. "No, I wasn't acting like you. I **AM** you." She realized.

Jack blinked a few times in surprise.

"There's dis horrid, EVIL thing…" Bonnie said, voice breaking. "That's a part of us dat makes it seem okay for us to do really awful things. I must gotten it from Jumba and passed it onto YOU and Grendella…and all I can say is…I'm **SORRY**…" She sobbed. "I'm deeply, deeply sorry…"

"…there's…one left?" He asked.

"Jack, that…" She took a deep breath. "That doesn't matter."

"I know, I just wanna let it sink in…" He blinked a few times, then nodded. "Thanks, Mom…I needed this."

He reached out his arms and he and his mother hugged each other deeply. "I'm gonna make you some cocoa, okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Okay." Jack said, nodding. "Okay…"

…

…

…

…Jolie calmly wrapped herself in her towel, having finished up her evening bath. She was going to take a looooong dip in her house's hot tub and was looking forward to calling Pitt up for a little night with just them being alone.

Approaching the tub, she let the towel drop to the tiled ground and slid inside, allowing the soothing, balmy effects of the tub to fill her body with beautiful warmth. Letting out a long sigh, she sank deeper in…

It was then that HE rose out of the tub. Her eyes widened…

A knife to the middle of her head made her gasp and look up at her forehead as Jack calmly began to TWIST. "You're right, Jolie. I WAS going to be laughing about it in a few weeks!"

He twisted and twisted and Jolie's eyes rolled up into her head as the blood pooled down from her forehead and down her chest, dying the hot tub red as Jack laughed madly, removing the knife and calmly shoving Jolie out of the tub after some effort. He then laid back in the tub and relaxed, a big smirk on his face as pinkish bubbles popped up around him in the red tub he was now relaxing within…


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_The Major Arcana…_

_Founded by Nick Grey, The Fool, those within it answer to a higher standard…jumping at the call so as to uphold the balance of the many worlds that exist in the multiverse._

_Those members within it are not bound by the laws of the world's reality…_

_And those that would break the balance will ultimately answer to them…_

_One way…_

_Or another…_

Experiment 627, Legion, nervously looked at the shrimp cocktail in his paws.

Belle had a craving for shrimp cocktail. She especially liked to have them right before bed. She said it made her dream of beaches and sunny skies and she would picture her husband's face on David Hasselhoff's "hot bod". This made Legion a BIT jealous. What was wrong with HIS body? He bet it was the extra head.

The shrimp cocktail was warm. He'd accidentally set the fridge temperature too high. He could fix it easily and just pop it back in the fridge, but he wanted to chill the cocktail and serve it to Belle now…right before they went to sleep.

He took a deep breath, then gently blew on top of the cocktail, and a serene mist of ice floated over it, chilling it perfectly.

"Ah, that's better." Slushy's voice said from Legion's mouth.

Legion then clamped his paws OVER his mouth, almost dropping the cocktail from his lower arms. He nervously bit his lip as he opened his mouth and spoke again, now in a mix of his and Slushy's voice. "Oh not AGAIN…"

Every time he used those powers…powers that were not truly his but borrowed from other experiments…this little thing happened. For a brief moment their persona took over.

Telekinesis was uniquely his, thank Jumba for that. However when he tried to access his enhanced strength, or put his brain to good use, he'd get little…urges. For strength, they were nasty, brutish ones. For his mental faculties, they were devious, cruel ideas.

He had THOUGHT his MPD was gone…

Legion nervously bit his lip and carried the cocktail up the stairs to he and Belle's bedroom. He'd have to go see Swapper, that guy was a shrink…he might be able to help.

Or maybe a priest. Maybe Jude or Page…

He had a feeling though, that not even GOD would have enough forgiveness for what he and the other members of the "Clan" had sworn to do in the name of saving their children's lives…

Elsewhere, somebody else was thinking deeply about the past. Grey, lying in his bed, was thinking about when he'd first met Kila. He opened and closed his eyes slowly, taking long deep breaths, his hairy chest rising and falling.

Memory clouded in his eyes.

…

…

…

…rubbing his eyes, Grey took in the large halls of Star Command, awed by the sight. Large, gleaming white halls with green rims, beautiful ships with white paint jobs shining like gleaming chess pieces placed upon a large board, purple scaffolds above his head…so much white and green and purple! It was so pretty, so futuristic…beeping noises pinged and chirped from the computer systems all around as Grey stood next to the large package he had to deliver. It was roughly the size of a small cat, and he easily picked it up in one hand, walking down a stairway and heading to a laboratory.

There she was…a green-skinned experiment with two long strands of hair that were like antennae sticking out from the top of her head. She had mouse-like ears, and a large nose, and was wearing a white labcoat, with…some kind of choker wrapped around her neck that looked like a vine. She had goggles at the top of her head and had her back turned as she poured some coffee into a pot.

"Excuse me?" He called out. "I'm looking for a "Dr. Kilana Ann Jookiba"?" He asked.

"Damo, that's me." She said, speaking in a language Grey had never heard before. He would one day find out it's name: Jukani.

She turned around and he saw them.

The eyes.

Those beautiful, spellbinding pools of gold. He felt that if he reached out and touched them, if he pulled his clawed hand back strips of the pure metal would drip down to the ground below. They were the most amazing eyes he'd ever seen in all his life, and he had seen PAGE'S eyes, who were so calming and serene to gaze into.

"I've…I've got the package that you ordered." Grey announced quietly, spellbound by the eyes, holding up the package in one hand.

Kilana Ann Jookiba's eyes went wide. "AME KEF, are you crazy? That's a pound of Uburnium, such a substance weighs at LEAST two tons!"

"Oh, really?" Grey asked, shrugging. "I couldn't really tell." He remarked, placing it on a nearby table…

BOOOM. The table broke apart and the floor began to crack. Quickly Grey picked it back up and nervously blushed. "Meega sota. You uh…got an anti-gravity pad or something I could put it on?"

Dr. Jookiba sighed and pulled out a small circular pad, pressing a blue button on the front. It hovered in the air. "Use that, sh'kido." She said.

Assuming that "sh'kido" meant something good, Grey placed the package on it, and the pad hovered over to a countertop nearby. Dr. Jookiba nodded. "Good." She said. "And, uh…for the record, don't call me "Kilana"."

"Why? It's a pretty name." Grey asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Because it means "Slave" in Jukani." Dr. Jookiba sighed. "Call me Kila." She insisted, holding out one paw.

"And call ME Grey." Grey said, nodding his head and taking her paw in his hands, shaking it eagerly.

"WOW, you're hairy." She announced. "How come you don't wear a shirt?...and why are you wearing tye-dye pants?"

"I like them. How come you've got a choker on your neck that looks like a plant?"

"Because it IS a plant." She said, and the choker unraveled to show off a green, vine-like thing with a purple head. It tasted the air in front of itself with its tongue and looked Grey over, tilting it's head to the side. Then it snaked out and licked his nose, making Grey's eyes cross as it licked and licked.

"Wow. Puddingsack likes you." Kila remarked. She stepped forward and took a VERY strong whiff. "Ah, that's why. Icee smell."

"Er…" Grey stepped back slightly. "What's with that sniffing thing? Can't you smell me from where you are?"

"Oh, no. I only see in grayscale and my sense of smell's all shot to hell. Only the **strongest** of smells really get my senses going. Got no sense of taste either." She shrugged as the plant retracted and went back to appearing as a choker. "Such is life. Say, you sound familiar." She rubbed her chin as she motioned for Grey to walk over to the counter. "You sure you haven't like, sung? I coulda sworn I heard you before on the radio."

"Yeah, everyone says I sound like Jesse McCartney when he grew older." Grey remarked, shrugging.

"…do a chorus." Kila asked snarkily.

"Huh?" Grey blinked.

"Sing a song chorus of his. Right now." She asked, poking him in his hairy chest.

"Oh, well…uh…since I do take requests…" Grey smiled nervously, then backflipped through the air.

_**Bay-bay, take me on a journey! I've been thinkin' lately I could use…a little time alone with you!**_

He landed on his hands, twirling around on the spot.

_**Cray-zay, let's do something may-be, please don't take your time…you've got me…**_

He then flipped up through the air and landed in a melodramatic pose, grinning broadly.

_**Right-where-you-want-me!**_

Kila laughed, steadying herself against the counter. "You are such a HAM! It's true, you ARE Nick Grey's son." She grinned. "Hey, you wanna see what I've been working on?"

"Heck yeah!" Grey remarked, walking over to Kila as she turned to the Uburnium.

Grey opened his eyes again, and now saw the ceiling of his room. He sighed deeply.

…

…

…

…"Look at this!" Jack laughed happily, holding up his take-home-final exam. It was a packet attached to a classical music CD. "This is my final exam for Myr's class! It's so EASY!" He grinned as he sat in the living room, popping the CD into their sweet carousel-style disc changing stereo system. "I just listen to this CD's tracks and write down how…it makes…me FEEL!" He grinned broadly. "It's an easy A!"

"I smell catastrophe upon the wind." Grendella remarked, shrugging. "Every time you think something's going to be easy, it ends up exploding in your face." To emphasize this point, she held her paws close together, then made a slow "Boooooom" noise as she simulated a mushroom cloud expanding out from a single point.

"Hardy-har-har." Jack snapped, placing his pencil to the packet's paper and listening to the music. He began to write…

…

…

…

… "AN F? How the hell can that…that purple-haired HYMIE give me a motherf—kin' F?" Jack roared as he looked over his packet. "And it gets worse! He said I "Didn't actually LISTEN to the CD", what a…GRRR…" He grit his teeth.

"Hey, maybe if you find a red pen and whiteout, you can change that F into a B!" Grendella offered.

"I've gotta do this all over…but I obviously need help. Professional musical help from somebody who knows Myr." Jack admitted. He took a deep breath. "Which means…I got to HIS house."

SOON…

Nacht looked the packet over, frowning, then shaking his head, laughing lightly. "The adagio in organ and strings makes you HAPPY?" He asked.

"Are you gonna help me, or not?" Jack demanded, eyes narrowing.

Nacht smiled. "…very well. We'll start from the very beginning…"

He motioned for Jack to come over to the yellow-painted living room and then took out a large crib from the closet. "This was Myr and Ember's crib. Ah, they grow up so fast." Nacht commented. "Now crawl inside."

Jack blinked. "…what?"

"Crawl inside." Nacht ordered.

Jack groaned and headed over the crib, crawling over the couch and into the crib. He lay back in the large thing as a mobile circled around overhead and Nacht held up a CD player, playing some music. "Okay, now then…how do you **FEEEEEL**?" He asked quietly.

Some gentle nursery music began to play and Jack blinked as he began to listen to it. But after a few minutes of "Rockabye and Goodnight" and whatnot, he frowned deeply. "I don't FEEL anything? It's just dinging, annoying sounds!"

"How can you not feel anything? BABIES get this!" Nacht remarked.

"You're in this with the kyke, aren't you?" Jack snarled, crawling out of the crib. "Teaching me bad on PURPOSE!"

"So you're stupid, racist AND crazy. What else is new?" Nacht commented snidely.

"You've got to do this the right way!" Jack demanded.

"You're hopeless." Nacht remarked.

"This isn't fair!" Jack snapped.

"How's it not fair?" Nacht inquired.

"I do well in EVERYTHING except music! That's not fair!"

"It's totally fair. You're just bothered that you don't get to be better than everybody else at everything all the time! Music is ten times better than ANYTHING you're good at put together!" Nacht growled. "And it's better because it's about **BEAUTY** and **LOVE** and **FEELING** and that's something **YOU** just don't understand and **NEVER WILL**!" Nacht snapped. He then left the room and Jack growled angrily, feeling that horrid dark urge rising in him…

Meanwhile, Rupert and Ariel were still incapacitated and hooked up to a sinister device, but nobody on the side of good knew of their fate…

Save for one.

Chopsuey Wuwalu clenched his fist and his eyes narrowed darkly as he looked at Zim, who was out walking his robotic "dog" again. He'd had a hunch about Zim for a long time, but this…this was proof of what he had been hoping had been true and yet, at the same time, praying was a lie.

His green form slinking down from out of the bushes, he carefully made his way down the sidewalk and into the alley, hopping on top of his white-painted motorcycle. Putting on his visored helmet he got rid of the kickstand and then started up the cycle, taking out of the alley as the engine roared and rushing down the street.

Blinking his eyes, he sent out a mental bolt that shot through the air and struck home…

_"Everyone, head home now. I know where they are!"_

…

…

…

… "Okay, what's going on, who took Rupert and Ariel?" Frank asked, sitting down next to his sister. Victoria nervously bit her lip as she looked down at her bulging stomach…the baby was kicking. Carmen put her hands on her hips as she looked her husband over.

"That little green bug thing, Zim…he's behind it." Chopsuey informed the others. "I read his mind."

Chopsuey, thanks to the benefit of upgrades courtesy of Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, had gained telepathic powers. This meant he could play a lot of jokes on people who didn't know the full extent of his abilities, like finishing their sentences, guessing what they had for breakfast, whispering in their ear the EXACT number of times they watched "Barney" last night for what they'd quickly and nervously justify as "Nostalgia's sake"…

He had tried to look into Lilo's head once, for funsies, but all he'd found were reruns of Disney shows. It was a trick she used to protect the privacy of her mind from telepaths. Nick, sadly, used a more blunt tactic he had picked up from the show "Mind of Mencia" and thought of nuns taking a crap, kittens on fire, ice cream sundaes and Shaq's penis when somebody tried to peer into his head.

Yeah. It could get weird in there.

"He's got them shacked up in their special laboratory at their house." Chopsuey informed them. "Therefore, your mother and I will head over there."

"We ain't goin' in alone, babe." Carmen insisted. "Is muy loco! We need to get help. Graves ayudar!"

"I know we'll need help. I've got a plan." Chopsuey insisted. "You and I both have other forms, but this will also require cunning. Therefore I'm going over to the church to get Page to assist us, and then I'm going to go speak to Nick and Lilo…"

He bit his lip. "And…I suppose I'll call up my old "PAL" 561. …"

"HE!" Carmen gulped. "Babe, I don't TRUST heem…"

561, Nightwing, happened to be a vigilante. He was an experiment so frightening that a gut reaction of most people who knew of him was to call him as "HE", since his designation alone brought up unpleasant memories. Unlike 421, who Jumba had dehydrated immediately after activation out of fear for his life, 561 had been so scary that Jumba had just run out of the lab, ruining his good pair of pants as he did so.

EVENTUALLY he'd tricked 561 into locking himself up by using his own pride against him. And yes, the black-scaled dragon was "good" now, but he was also…well…not a very NICE person to those who threatened his family even remotely. The people he got off the streets got off the streets in little pieces…and in the case of one mob boss, his entire body had had its limbs hacked off and sent to every single one of his high-ranking officers.

He was frightening, even to the forces of good. Even Lilo was scared, he'd tried to rape her years ago when she was still a girl trying to find homes for all the experiments, seeking to extinguish her light "and make her a part of his darkness".

Going to him for help was like making a deal with the devil.

"He happens to be very, very powerful and very, very useful with his dark energy generation abilities." Chopsuey insisted. "Besides, with Nick and Lilo being there along with Page…we can stop him from flying off the handle."

"…well…if Page will come along…alright." Carmen nodded. "Let's go kick some ass!" She laughed happily, slamming her fist into her palm.

"Why can't WE come with?" Frank asked, looking miffed.

"Your sister is **pregnant** and I need you to stay with her. I need to know that she's being taken care of, son." Chopsuey insisted, placing his hand on his son's shoulder.

"I can take care of MYSELF, ya know!" Victoria thought-spoke at her dad, using HER power.

"I know you can, but having a baby changes **everything**." Chopsuey insisted. "Trust me, I know."

…

…

…

… "So remember…our hearts are as radios. They preach a message of love and forgiveness, sent to us from one great station above. Hatred…cruelty…revenge…these are interferences that jam this signal. We must find a place where we can hear the message of our heart clearly, and we can do that within our minds, by opening them up and allowing tolerance and acceptance into them."

He stretched out his paws, closing his eyes slowly. "Now…lift up your hearts."

"We lift them up to the Lord."

"And may God smile upon you this day." Page said, bowing his head as he looked out at the congregation. "Go in peace." He said, opening his eyes.

One by one the massive congregation within the church left out the doors and Page blinked his beautiful eyes, seeing Chopsuey and Carmen approach. Page's eyes and voice were considered to be the loveliest of all the male experiments, because the eyes were as the color of a serene pond and his voice was pure and beautiful, like a choir boy's. He was a loving, caring soul.

"What can I help you with, Brother Chopsuey…Sister Carmen?"

Carmen smiled. Page was a dear old friend to her. "We need choo for somethin'. It's about Roopert."

Page's eyes went wide. "You know of his location?" Page asked. "Why not go to the police?"

"If we all went in, guns a-blazing, they'd do the clichéd thing and kill the hostages. The moment "you're surrounded" gets out the bullhorn, they'd put a bullet through their heads." Chopsuey reasoned. "Irkens are SCUM-"

"Ah-HEM." Page frowned, tilting his head slightly.

"Okay, fine…Irkens are…not known for being nice."

"True, true. So Zim is behind the kidnapping, I take it? And Kila's involved as well?" Page asked sadly. He sighed. "I shall aid you…if only to keep souls from being killed. I've no desire to actually hurt Zim or Kila."

"You're too nice for your own good…" Carmen remarked. Then she smiled. "But that's what I LIKE about choo, Page. Usted es muy pacifista."

Chopsuey grinned. "Now there's one more member of our little cadre to visit, niño de coro …"

"And who might that be?" Page inquired, looking interested.

"Nightwing."

Page's body stiffened. "…you're…sure?" He asked. "I worry for his soul, I do…"

"Yes, I'm sure." Chopsuey insisted, folding his arms across his chest.

…

…

…

…Nightwing smiled calmly as he spoke. His voice was eloquent and polite, yet sinister in nature. "You require my aid?" He asked. "The little rabbit and his darling wife need saving?"

"Yes. Your abilities are very useful, especially for sneaking around places." Nick spoke up as he and Lilo stood together. "This is going to be a simple get-in, get-out job. And in the event that something…unpleasant occurs..." Nick held up his cell phone. "I call up Jumba and he comes in to help too."

Nightwing rubbed his chin. "Well…since I do happen to owe you a favor, choir boy, I shall assist." He nodded politely at Page.

"How does HE owe YOU a favor?" Lilo asked, looking confused.

"I felt that I needed some more…assurance that I'm doing righteous work, so I had Page bless a few of my crime-fighting tools. Mostly knives…a baseball bat…my gun collection…" Nightwing shrugged. "Guns are often weapons of the holy."

Page nervously blushed at this, as if loathe to admit that this was truer than you'd think.

"Now then…" Nightwing clasped his clawed hands together and smiled broadly. "Shall we get started? We'll need to travel under cover of night, that will help me use my power in a more efficient manner…"

"I still think we should just go in and demand that they give them back. Being sneak feels wrong." Nick admitted.

"Neek, los malos don't play fair…why should WE?" Carmen, putting her hands on her hips and frowning.

"Cuz we're BETTER than they are?" Nick offered.

Nightwing whacked him over the head. "Let's just get going!"

…

…

…

…Nick looked over at Nightwing and nodded. They were outside of Kila and Zim's large home and had divided up into teams.

Quickly crossing to the backyard via the bushes to the side of the house, they snuck to the back and Nick made a few gesticulations with his hand.

"Hmm. Is it a movie title?" Nightwing remarked with a smirk.

"Ha-ha. Stand back and wait for my signal." Nick whispered quietly. "I've gotta check for lasers."

Nick motioned for them all to hang back and he reached deep down into the backpack he'd brought. It was his **SUPER-FANTASTICAL BACKPACK OF AMAZING WONDERS** and it had a CRUDLOAD of stuff. He pulled out a spray can of "Cotton Candy" from "Prince Matchabelli", a "Delicious Fragrance, Gentle Deodorant Body Spray" and sprayed it forth in the air around the backyard. He kept walking forward, spraying, and found lasers were, in fact, strewn across the doorway, coming from two fake lawn gnomes.

"Mirror diversions!" Nick whispered.

Lilo quickly took out two mirrors on stands from a hip pouch and set them up. Pressing a button at the bottom of the stand, the mirrors rose up until they PINGED, hitting the lasers and deflecting them up into the night sky.

"Done. Alright, let's get moving." Nick said, nodding and motioning for them to move forward.

Sneaking in through the back door, Nick led the others to a large closet. He tapped on it twice, and it popped open, revealing a secret passage.

"How'd you know that was there?" Nightwing asked.

"Because I MADE this house for Dr. Chansey!" Nick explained. "Back when I was in my bestial form!"

They all slid inside, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. One by one they slipped inside the closet passageway and made their way through the house.

"I'm feeling a little…nervous now." Page remarked quietly.

"Want me to go inside of your head and calm you down, friend?" Chopsuey offered.

"Well, you can TRY."

Chopsuey focused…then blinked. "Hmm. I can only see white ROSES in your head." He remarked. "Must be your MA power at work."

"It's nifty, isn't it?" Page commented.

"…_NIFTY?_" Carmen remarked, looking a liiiittle less impressed with Page due to that use of outdated lingo.

Soon they found what they were looking for…Page jabbed his thumb to the right and they looked out a mirror to see Rupert and his wife moaning quietly as Skoodge tried to get them to drink a fruit smoothie to keep their health up as best as he could. "C'mon, if you don't get something down, you'll starve."

"Yeah, c'mon, I made it myself." Tenn spoke gently.

"You're…going to kill us…anyhow…" Rupert murmured.

"Why would I want to do that?" Skoodge inquired, looking honestly offended.

"Because…Zim would tell you to." Rupert went on.

CRA-CRAAAASH!

The window to their right shattered as the rescue team jumped out. "And now you're going to do what WE tell you…and LET THEM GO." Lilo demanded.

"I had a feeling you'd show up, my beloved." A voice called out.

They looked up to see a certain blue imp at the top of the nightmare generator, smirking. "Luckily for you, I've got this under control, Skoodge." He pointed at the group. "Prepare to experience my power!"

"For starters…stop calling me "your beloved"! It's friggin' creepy!" Nick demanded.

"Awww, don't be like that!" Snizzi laughed, holding out his arms. "C'mon and give your "son" a hug?"

"My power might have given you life, but what you do with it is usually SHAMEFUL…things I'd NEVER do." Nick growled. "And I thought you were smarter than this, Snizzi. You know full well that the special abilities of those Major Arcana don't work on fellow members." Nick remarked. **"You can't control us."**

"Your title of Fool truly fits you, my beloved." Snizzi laughed. "Who said I was going to control YOU?"

He gestured slightly in the air, in the general direction of Carmen and Chopsuey, who twitched. "Now…"

The two of their bodies BULGED out, muscles straining, veins popping as they became monstrous. Chop's hair surged out even longer than usual, he and Carmen's claws and fangs grew to enormous proportions and now they all stood above the others, who gasped as they saw the blue light that was emitting from the husband and wife's eyes.

"Oh dear!" Nick remarked. "Chops, c'mon, you have telepathy, TRY and fight it!"

Chopsuey bit his lip and chewed, his body quivering…

Unfortunately any resistance crumbled a second later. Snizzi clapped his hands and Chopsuey and Carmen stretched out their extra arms, snatching up the rescue party and slamming them to the ground near the Nightmare Generator, whose tentacle wires shot into their heads, attaching hard. "You're being totally unfair!" Page yelled angrily.

"Unfair? THEY'RE the ones who came sneaking into the house. If they'd just come barging in, demanding you back, I would have fought them fairly, one on one, and if they'd WON, I would have let you take them back. But no, you keep thinking we "villains" don't have standards, so it's alright for YOU to break the rules and be sneaky once in a while. Dumb, dumb, dumb." Snizzi remarked, rapping his knuckles on his head. "Now you're paying the price."

Nick glared at them all. "Somehow, "I told you so" just doesn't seem-"

He didn't get to finish that thought. The rescue party screamed as horrible visions assaulted them, shutting their mental functions down temporarily, placing them in a dark daze. Placing them in chairs along with Rupert and Ariel, Carmen and Chopsuey then returned to normal size as Snizzi clapped his hands again, and they lowered their heads as they sat in chairs of their own, allowing the Nightmare Generator to sink its tentacles into THEIR skulls.

"So it begins." Snizzi announced calmly, frighteningly, his red eyes twinkling.

…

…

…

…Clyde sighed as he saw Jack pacing back and forth in his room. "It's not fair! That dumb kyke has it in for me!" He insisted.

"Son…"

"I'll get him, I swear to GOD, I'm going to get him!"

"Son!"

"I'm gonna take his guts and-"

"SON!"

Jack turned his head and saw Clyde looked…so much OLDER than normal. There were wrinkles around his eyes…how had he never seen them before? And he seemed so…defeated. Tired.

"Son, your mother and I, we…we have tried very hard to be good parents to you, despite our…occupations usually forcing us to be less-than-compassionate." He bit his lip and looked down at the ground, then came inside the room and sat down in a chair, making it strain under his weight. "Son…what I'm trying to say, is that your actions have been bothering me for a long time and I feel that it's because I don't spend enough time with you…WE don't spend enough time. And it's our…occupation…that hinders me from doing so."

He placed his paw on his son's shoulder. "Jack, my boy, I've got to come clean. No more secrets, not anymore. Tomorrow I'm going to have a talk with Mr Grey and Mrs. Pelekai and we'll sort everything out."

Jack's eyes widened in horror. His father was going to TELL. He was going to get he and his mother thrown in jail. He was going to do what the Clan was not SUPPOSED to do…RAT on its fellow members!

He was breaking a solemn vow.

Nodding, Clyde left the room and Jack found a hot heat rising in him.

"He CAN'T do THAT."

"No, no he can't…it's not right…"

"No, NOT right AT all."

"He's betraying mom!"

"You'll HAVE to TAKE a KNIFE and CUT and CUT and CUT and CUT…"

Jack's smile grew wider and wider with each repetition of the word.

"And cut and cut and CUT AND CUT AND **CUT AND CUT**…"

…

…

…

…Green took a few steps around in the dark abyss. There were stars all around her and she shivered in fear. Pain had shot through her neck and a chill was going through her body.

So…she felt so cold…

She shivered madly, and looked around, trying to find something she could burn that would-

Then she remembered. Duh! POWERS!

She held up her clawed hands…but nothing happened. She gasped in fright. Her powers were just GONE! She tried to call them back up, hands clenching into fists, eyes narrowed into slits, but NOTHING worked.

It couldn't possibly get-

"Oh IRK…" She gasped out, seeing them. THEM. Stitch and Angel. Coming closer to her, their empty eye sockets gazing accusingly as they walked closer and closer.

"No…no, stay away…" Green whispered.

"You're cold? Come over here…I'll make you waaaaarm…" Stitch called out, holding out his clawed paws, grinning and showing off bloodstained teeth.

"Stay away!" Green screamed, backpedaling across the abyss, eyes widening in fear. She raised her clawed hands up. "Back off!"

"You killed us…you killed us…" Angel whispered accusingly.

"You…GET AWAY!" Green snarled, trying to summon forth courage. "FLAME ON, **SKANK**!" She hissed, clenching her fists and shooting them forward. NOW the power manifested fully, and rings of fire rushed out like snakey ropes that shot at Angel…

And they passed through her body, doing absolutely nothing. Green gasped in utter horror, body twitching madly as they came closer.

"You killed us…killed us…" They repeated in a croaking voice.

"No…no-no…" Green sobbed, covering her eyes and curling up.

"Murderer…murderer…"

"Noooo…"

They were almost upon her. She could feel their breath. "MURDERER…MURDERER…"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO!" Green wailed. "I DIDN'T WANT TO!"

And with that…she awoke. Her body shot up in her bed and she found sweat was pouring down her in droves. She blinked a few times, looking down at the blue blanket below and then sobbed into her palms.

_"I didn't want to…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…"_ She sobbed out.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

_The question all of us face is…why?_

_Why do people do the things they do?_

_It's not just one thing that makes us do it. It's a number of factors. Ultimately, both the people that surround us and that which lies within us define what we are._

_WHO we are is something else entirely though. Many are defined by traits like courage…sincerity…kindness…_

_But what enough people don't realize is that they are also defined by what they are NOT…_

_I am defined by what I am not. What I am not…is a human being. I am a half-human, half-chaos energy freak and I'm very much just trying to live my own goddmn life without people interfering. I just want to enjoy myself._

_Yet…for some reason I can't lately…_

_Maybe it's because I feel bad for all these experiments in the news who keep getting attacked._

_Could I actually have a heart?_

White put the "Time" magazine down with a SLAM on his desk and laid back in his chair, looking at the ceiling tiles.

"It used to be I didn't give a flying f—k WHAT happened to most of those furry idiots. Now I can't stop THINKING about them." He sighed deeply. "Spending all this time around Nick's started to get me…sentimental."

"SENTIMENT?"

White turned his head. Alex was standing there, leaning against the door. "So…does that mean you're starting to feel BAD about rejecting my offer before, you bloody idiot? We could have used your help, y'know."

"I feel so…EXPOSED, with you in my office." White laughed.

"I'm not interested in seeing you "Full Monty"." Alex remarked. "Now the Hierophant wants us all to get together to investigate Ace and Spectra."

"So it's come down to that, then?" White asked quietly.

Alex nodded his head and White walked over to a nearby desk, looking at a photo of him and a black-haired girl who's hair was tied into a ponytail. He held onto it for a few moments.

"…okay. I'm in." He said. "But only because of the pay you're offering, got it?" He turned his head. "If word got out I was goin' soft, I'd lose a lot of street cred."

Alex grinned. "I shan't tell a soul."

"I knew it, I KNEW it!"

Alex and White turned around to see Echo coming towards him, holding up a large book. "I KNEW I'd seen ya somewhere before and when I was looking through one of my books, look what I found!"

Echo pulled the large book entitled "Blue Hawaii: On the Set" open to a bookmarked page and it showed a large group of people preparing the set of "Blue Hawaii" for a scene. There, helping to move a camera, was Alex Hardie himself.

"I read this thing all the time because I got his hee-uuuuge crush on Elvis." Echo explained. "What are you doing on the set of Blue Hawaii?" She asked him. "You don't look a day older than ya were in the photo. Some kinda superhero magic?" She wanted to know.

"I thought I destroyed that film!" he shouted at the book. Looking up, he saw Echo and White staring at him. Scratching the back of his neck "Eh he, I've got a lot of explaining to do ain't I?" he asked nervously.

"You've just got me a LOT more interested in you." White remarked, grinning at him. "So by all means…tell us."

"Yeah, what's the dill-io?" Echo wanted to know.

"Okay, oh GOD, where to start?" Alex remarked, shaking his head.

"Well, do you want to know exactly what I am, or just why I was there?"

"Telling us what you ARE is all we need to know." White said, shrugging. "I'm chaos energy given physical form in a human shell. My emotions are LEFTOVERS from Nick...I'll never be my own man." He remarked quietly. "What's your story?"

"I am a composite of two minds who were somehow separated. One ended up in a world similar to this one" he said, spreading his arms out. "Turned into an experiment that surpassed even Stitch. The other, I'm not gonna tell you, it's personal, but he gained reality warping powers. Eventually they met, and became one again. Now I have enhanced versions of ALL the original gens experiment powers, plus the ability to warp reality. On top of that, I'm immortal and have enhanced regenerative powers. But the reason I was in 1961 is entirely different" he said looking down at Echo.

"Being immortal sounds...sad." Echo remarked quietly, looking apologetic. "Gee, I'm real sorry to hear that. But why were you in 1961? Did you wanna get Elvis's autograph?"

Alex gave a short laugh "Not exactly. You see, I can travel through dimensions, the universe and time under my own power. And since I don't injure the time stream, I can get away with a lot. I was actually aiming to visit the universe like this I had already visited, but I overshot and ended up here and in 1961, and just decided to help out, really hard to get a job on a film at 15. Grabbed a few souvenirs there as well!" he stated proudly. "You wanna see what I got?" He asked Echo.

"White grinned and rubbed his chin."Hmm. Well in that case...do you remember May **10th**, 1961?" He inquired, giving him a large grin. "The sky was slightly cloudy that day...the weatherman erroneously predicted it would rain..." He went on enigmatically.

"And how could I forget a pink eyed being of living chaos like you Michael, walking into a strip club!" Alex laughed. "Yes, I saw you then, sensed you. It would be hard NOT to."

Michael grinned. "Those were the days they did strip clubs RIGHT." He said, giving Alex a thumbs up. Then he looked down at Echo. "Oh. Sorry, kid." He apologized.

"It's okay. Last week I found this magazine and I had to ask my dad what "spooning" was. Very little stuff related to sex surprises me."

She walked out of the room and Michael leaned in to whisper into Alex's ear. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry." He admitted.

"Michael, I find you sick." Alex remarked coldly. "Pity she left, I was going to give her this." he said, pulling a crystal from the pocket of his jacket.

White snatched it out of his hands and smiled."I'll give it to her. Don't worry, I'll tell her it's from you." He lied. And with that, he was gone, already teleported away.

Alex smiled briefly, reached into his pockets again, and drew out a second crystal, almost identical to the first."Thank you Crystallene! As if I would take out the real crystal from Elvis' final concert suit whilst he was around. Enjoy your chunk of GLASS, Michael." And with that he faded away too.

…

…

…

…it was an enormous, crystalline hall. At the far back was a throne…but nobody was sitting in it at the moment. Large tapestries hung down beneath beautiful stained glass windows that let the sunshine stream in peacefully and crystal chandeliers hung from the tall ceiling as candles on long stands lined the walls to the side. There was a large glass dome at the top of the palace and the place was packed to the brim with the people.

About fifty feet from the throne was a large podium on a stage that had been set up, and speaking at it was a light-green/yellow skinned alien with a single eye and a small antennae on his head. He had long, three-digited fingers and was wearing a fancy blue uniform. He had a katana strapped to his back attached by a bandolier and boots, with tipless gloves. Age had matured Wendy Northcut Pleakley slightly, and he was now an officer in the Niihau Guard, designed to protect the islands of Hawaii at a minute's notice.

Niihau had originally been experiment-only, and if a human arrived…they didn't come back unless it was piece by piece. That was because of Heatwave and Heartwing's first child, their only son, Chibisuke…better known as Senkoukura, Dragon Lord of Flame and Light. He had felt that humanity was too…flawed. He had WANTED to believe the best in them, but it had simply seemed impossible, so he had wanted to keep his people on Niihau separated from humanity and had killed those humans who'd been living on the island.

He'd done great wrongs but had atoned for them and had been hard at work in improving human and Experimental American relationships. He was preparing for a speech, in fact…

"As you all know, next week on Monday there will be an important meeting. We've invited news crews and heads of state alike here to come here. The broadcast will be seen in places as far off as Timbuktu!" Pleakley bragged. He grinned broadly and went on. "Senkoukura has been hard at work with his speech and is proud of the effort everyone here has been putting in to get the place spruced up for the upcoming visit. Finally…"

Pleakley turned his head to gesture at a white-furred, triangular-earred experiment with beautiful white fur, green tattoos all over his body and a blue headband on his head. He had a small silver nose and a silver belly, with golden eyes. "Makani has an announcement."

Makani stood up and addressed the podium. His voice was as gentle and refreshing as a zephyr, and his appearance was like that of an experimental ADONIS. "As you all know, we of Niihau must prepare for the upcoming visits. But we are not merely inviting heads of state or fancy news crews. Ordinary people are to be welcomed in, and we shall greet them as lovingly and compassionately as we would greet our dear old grandmothers." He grinned. "Also, anybody who wants to complain to me about injuries sustained during the field expedition to Egypt last week to deal with those psychopathic Succubus-class experiments will simply be wasting their time."

Makani nodded and stood down as Pleakley took the podium again. "The eyes of the entire GALAXY are going to be watching us." The cycloptic alien told them all. "We must be absolutely nothing less than fabulous."

…

…

…

…memories…

Pleakley was thinking of a good memory he had had so long ago. Another time when he'd felt…inspiring.

It had been during his time volunteering as an orderly at an institution.

…

…

…

… "So she was just left with this note?" Pleakley asked the doctors as he walked down the hallways, one eye glaring down at the note which read "Please take good care of my darling. God knows I certainly cannot."

"Yes, she was five when we found her." The doctor said, leading Pleakley to a door that had a large window in it. Pleakley looked inside to see a human girl within. She had a yellow and purple-haired pair of ponytails, blue hair falling down the sides of her head and dark skin with beautiful cyan eyes. She was wiggling her fingers nervously as she walked around, mumbling to herself. She wore a jacket that was too big for her body that was covered in food which she had failed to get into her mouth properly and had a funny expression in her eyes like she'd just been hit in the face.

"She's…very heavily autistic." The doctor said. "We cannot really get anything out of her and the previous orderlies have had NO patience with her. Furthermore, the Director is simply…" He shivered. "He's been horrible to her. If YOU could aid her somehow…it would be most appreciated."

Pleakley nodded. "I'll be GLAD to help!" He said happily. He opened the door up and the girl turned her head. "Hello! I'm Pleakley."

She blinked at him. "No nose." She announced.

Pleakley blinked back at her. THAT was the first thing she noticed? Well…it WAS a change. He adjusted his orderly outfit and sat down in a nearby chair as she sat down on the floor. The entire room was painted a lovely blue color. "So…you haven't talked much with the doctors."

"This room is blue." She announced.

"…yes, yes is! Cyan, specifically."

"Air force Blue, Alice Blue, Azure, Baby Blue, Blue, Brandeis Blue, Carolina Blue, Cerulean, Cobalt Blue, Columbia Blue, Cornflower Blue, Cyan!" The girl spoke.

Pleakley had a feeling she knew every single shade of every color that ever was. "Do you have gumdrops?" The girl asked. "I don't like the red ones."

"…yes…I do." He remarked, pulling out a small yellow box and putting some gumdrops in his hand. "They're my favorite snack."

YOINK! She took them out of his hand and began chewing with her mouth open. She had ZERO table manners. "Haaaahhh." She honked out as she chewed with her mouth open.

Pleakley waited until the girl was finished, then popped a question. "What's your name?"

The girl blinked. "Ahh…ahhh…." She concentrated, banging her fist on her head. "It's-it's…it's…" She stopped, remembering. "SARI! Yeah, Sariiii!" She announced.

Pleakley blinked, then smiled. "I'm going to be taking care of you, Sari. Alright?"

"This room is green." Sari remarked, twitching her fingers.

"Alright?"

Sari nodded and Pleakley smiled more broadly. "Okay…so what do you want for lunch?"

…

…

…

…Grey could remember when he'd first met Zim.

He had been spending a LOT of time with Kila, helping her move things around the laboratory she worked at. And he enjoyed listening to her explain about the different technologies that Star Command used…

They'd also found that Grey was a natural with dimensional gate technology. He understood the theories no problem and had even made a small, window-sized "window style" portal that looked into another dimension made entirely of salami.

It was on one day at Star Command that Grey was looking around for Kila to sit with her at lunch and he saw…a rather lonely-looking Irken. Small…maroon eyes. Sharp antennae that went down at the end in almost scythe-like tips. He had on the usual Invader's outfit beneath his labcoat, but there was something in his front pocket…a silver medal of some kind.

He was looking over the meal and poking it, looking rather disgusted. "Ecchhh." He announced. "Surrounded by staatel! Filthy otherworlders…touching my coat and getting it all dirty…trying to touch ZIM'S medal!"

"You okay?" Grey asked, looking concerned.

Zim looked him over. "This is none of your business, dog-thing." He remarked. "I am trying to eat my lunch in peace."

"You…haven't touched anything. Is something wrong with the food?" Grey inquired.

"Nonsense! I'm simply stuffed to the brim with this FIIIILTH…" Zim curled his gloved claws. "That I couldn't eat another bite!"

"Wait, you're Irken, aren'tcha? I'm "The Strength" of the Major Arcana, "The Hierophant", Darth, is an Irken and he's told me you guys REALLY like sugary stuff?"

Zim's eyes went wide. "Yes…why?" He asked.

"Weeeelll…" Grey pulled something out of his pocket. It was a "Lik-A-Maid" candy. "I got this out of the candy machine…last one! It's pretty much pure sugar-"

"Give to ZIIIIIM!" Zim howled.

Grey handed it over and Zim downed the entire pack of sugar-dip in one gulp. Instantly his pupils widened and a stupid smile came over his face. "That's a nice feeling…yur a gud kid…" He remarked stupidly, grinning happily.

"Uh, thanks. Mahalo." Grey remarked.

"I fell really gud…" Zim announced in that stupid tone.

Grey laughed a little and helped Zim up. "Come on, let me get you outta that sugar rush. What's your poison?"

"Got any-oop!"

He tripped and his silver medal fell out of his pocket. The dainty thing went flying through the air and his eyes widened as he was SHOCKED out of the sugar rush…

THWUP.

Grey snatched it before it broke apart and he handed it gently to Zim. "Here."

"…th…thank you." Zim said quietly. "This is very…this is a very important medal of mine. It's been with me for years."

"Your name is Zim, right?" Grey asked.

"Short for "Zerinim", but it means "World Destroyer" and is the equivalent of naming an Earthling child "Adolf"…so I prefer "Zim"." Zim insisted.

"My name is Grey Nicholas Pelekai. Nice to meet you." Grey said happily. "Now then…where do you work here?" He asked.

From then on, the two eat together. Grey would bring in various snack foods at lunch and Zim would tell Grey stories about his glorious years in the military of the Irken empire before going into Star Command, and during the mornings Grey would work with Kila in the lab before going back home to Kokaua Town.

It had been a good life. Not a perfect one, but…in it's own way, a very good life. And if he had kept doing what he'd done, perhaps…perhaps he and Kila would have been boyfriend and girlfriend. Life would have been very different for all of them.

But instead it had changed when Grey suggested that Kila not eat in the laboratory one day but with him and his friend, Zim…

And from that moment on…everything was very, VERY different.

Grey sighed deeply as he walked down the sidewalk, blinking the tears from his eyes, trying to forget those memories. He had honest-to-God tried to get over his fury over Zim taking Kila from him…he'd TRIED to love Zim and forgive him, but sometimes it got so HARD, and he DID care about Kila, he well and truly did. He only wanted her to be happy, yet another part of him screamed and tore at himself, insisting she'd be happiest with HIM…

What would it have been like if they'd married?

"We…we might have been happy…we honestly could have been." Grey whimpered, tears brimming in his eyes. He covered his face and began to cry…he knew it was selfish, but why, why had he allowed himself to become so vulnerable, so stupidly open?

_Why did I have to fall in love with Kila Freakin' Jookiba…_

But then a horrid, TERRIBLE stench struck the nostrils on his face and his eyes shot wide, making him jolt out of his self-pity.

Salty-iron…

BLOOD…and close by!

…

…

…

…the room was dark, with a large window casting light down on a chair. Sandy sighed and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I suppose I just wanted to talk to you about Mom and Dad." Sandy mumbled. "With all the problems that have been going on lately on the island…it was hectic trying to get a funeral together, but I wanted it to be here, with you. And…"

He sighed. "Through all the death and horror and wonder I've seen in my life, I've been trying to hold onto that shining, unshakable hope…that hope that when the chips were down, I would prove I could be a good leader. That I could…fill dad's shoes. That I could live up to his expectations." He bit his lip. "But I feel so…overwhelmed and nervous…and I shouldn't. I mean, my life is pretty straight and safe now. I love G…she's amazing and sweet and I love her more than I love my own life, but…I don't think I'm…I…"

He bit his lip more deeply, chewed, then his head sank down into his paws. "I don't like what I've become. I have the power to lift objects 3000 times bigger than I do and can sing as beautifully as my mother, I can SURF like an expert and know the loopholes of laws to keep my friends from being thrown in jail for things as lowly as traffic violations and yet…I can't talk to my wife about the things that matter most. Not even my friends…"

"Wow." An experiment with a teal pot belly and a large, rounded nose wearing a black jumpsuit folded his thick arms as he looked Sandy over. His claws and fingers were thick, a sharp contrast to the slim and smooth female experiment next to him. Her butt was a 9.2 out of 10 on the rating scale, and she had a perfect pair of breasts. Her red fur was well-groomed and she had a light orange belly and chest, visible due to the fact that her jumpsuit had an open space that resembled an "X" on the front, showing off her chest balloons quite well. Kuko, Sandy's brother repeated his exclamation. "Wow."

"You've had a lot to get off your chest." Peleka, Sandy's sister agreed. "I think you came to us just in time."

…

…

…

…Esmeralda turned the phone off and turned to Pele and Hiaka. "I talked with the Wyrd Sisters." She said, nodding her head at them. "They're going to set up shop at Niihau and remain cloaked and off the radar as hard as they can."

"Good, Jack'll like that." Pele said, smiling.

Esmeralda frowned though. "I don't like keepin' this secret from Eclipse though."

"You'll tell him EVENTUALLY though, won't you?" Hiaka wanted to know.

Esmeralda's yellow eyes blinked "…I WANT to." She admitted.

…but COULD she?

…

…

…

… "The reason I want to talk to you is because I'm concerned with Patch." King told Vassago, walking down the hallway of the Major Arcana headquarters. "She's one of my best and most valued students and she's becoming very knowledgeable about magic."

Vassago's fiery red hair glowed visibly along with his neon-esque green eyes. "Ah, she is quite a nice girl, isn't she?" He nodded. "But why are you concerned?"

They reached King's study, a yellow-painted laboratory with many tables and a HUGE chalkboard that showed off various alchemic seals and mathematical formulas. King walked up to the chalkboard, to a part that WASN'T scribbled on, and drew up a picture of Patch. "She says she's been bleeding from her body but is too nervous to go into details. She also says she's been feeling "All oogy" and "very tired"." He turned around. "And there's something I've seen in her eyes…a white shine in them that wasn't there before. I believe she might be channeling a spirit. Malignant or benign I cannot be sure of yet."

Vassago rubbed his chin, the chains on his pants jingling as he came to a stop. "You want me to examine the girl and find out if she's got a spirit in here?"

"Yes." King said, nodding. "And get it OUT of here if it's an evil one."

"Why not Jude?" Vassago inquired. "He's a priest. Ask him to perform an exorcism."

"I want to know HOW a dark spirit got into a little Experimental American girl." King said, his golden eyes narrowing. "I DON'T believe that this new change in health is a coincidence at all. Not with all that's been happening." He went on, crushing one chalk piece in his three-clawed, scaly green hand.

The prince from Hell looked the snake magus over, then nodded. "Fine." He lifted his arm up to his mouth and opened wide, growing a pair of fangs, which he used to carve a diagnoal line into his arm. "I'll make the pact." He said, handing it to King, who took his own fangs and marked another line, making an "x". "I'll examine the girl and find out what you need to know. If I do not, may my mind be stripped from my very body. But I want you to assist me in dealing with a coup that's been going on in the Northern Regions of Hell."

"I always honor my word, as I trust you will honor YOURS." King said, nodding.

…

…

…

…Pleakley stood by Dr. Jumba's side as they looked at Green through a one-way window. Zim and Kila were standing there as well, and they saw Green was looking at a girl with maroon pigtails and a big smile. She wore a blue raincoat that had splotches of pudding on it and had drawn cartoons in pen all over her hands and arms.

"This room is green." She announced to Green. "You're green."

"That's my name too." She said.

"Greeeeen." The human girl remarked, grinning broadly. She then reached out and squeaked Green's nose. "HONK!"

Green blinked a few times.

"You got a gum drop? But not a red one, I don't like the red ones." The girl asked quietly.

"I don't know why you had to do this here." Kila remarked. "I know most children like these have hearts as big as their oversized foreheads, but…it still makes me somewhat uncomfortable seeing Green in here."

"This place is designed to unlock the mysterious of the brain. We've already tracked down the gene that causes the Autism Spectrum Disorders." Pleakley explained.

"Indeed." Jumba agreed. "There is nothing for you to be worrying about, my child." Jumba said, gently placing his large hand on Kila's shoulder. "I set up this institution here to HELP people like Sari and to get her and the other patients out of that horrid home of corruption."

"Yeah, the things that director DID to her…" Pleakley said hatefully, single eye narrowing to a slit.

"…mmph." Kila mumbled.

"So you have been looking after this "Sari" since she was FIVE?" Zim inquired of Pleakley. "Besides her obsession with colors, she does not seem-"

"I wanna go to the BLUUUUUUUE room." Sari announced in a slightly robotic tone, twitching her fingers nervously.

"…hmm." He frowned. "And you said that she's a mathematical genius?"

"Yes, Sari is quite a clever girl." Jumba said, nodding his big head. "And she has not been the only one we've been looking after. I know it was with reluctance that you left your daughter in my care if only for a short while, but I have learned much from her…and ABOUT her."

He held up a packet of papers that had many charts and graphs upon it, handing them to Kila, who looked them over while Zim walked into the room that Green and Sari were in.

"There were some serious anomalies in the blood test results we did on Green." Jumba Jookiba informed Kila. "Right now, her brain is burning sugar TWENTY TIMES faster than normal. It is literally on FIRE…almost as if a SUN is growing in your daughter's brain, hence she is having very new and considerably big thoughts and ideas. It is…" He rubbed his chin. "How am I going to put this?"

"She's developing her experimental powers. Her body is changing, going through "ability puberty"!" Kila realized. "Puddingsack…" She rubbed the little plant-thing that emerged from around her and patted it's head. "This was my first change to my body, but it wasn't **natural**…"

"Though I am cute!" Puddingsack spoke up.

"You sure are." Kila said happily. "But THEN I found I could generate the temperature of an eight-bar electric heater from the bones in my paw and create small flames just above my paws! That was when I realized I'd hit the mark." She said, holding one paw up and making it glow bright and HOT. A small flame then appeared in the air, dancing around. "Chibi started out as Puff the Magic Dragon and look how HE ended up. Grey, for his sins, became Tony the Tiger on Barbiturates!"

"And now your daughter's thoughts are thinking thoughts and she's generating some solar radiation in her sleep…" Jumba mused.

"You're green!" Sari announced as she poked Zim for the umpteenth time.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, EARTH CHILD?" Zim hissed, whacking her arm away.

Sari blinked. "But-"

"No! Shut up!"

"But-"

"No, shut up, I said! I order you to shut up!" Zim snapped, holding his clawed hand over Sari's mouth.

She pulled it away. "…But Zim!"

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?"

She shut up. Zim smiled. "Ahhhhh."

"Ummm...Zim?"

Zim frowned. "…WHAT?" He snapped.

"…you're head is green!"

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Zim howled. "Green come on, let's get you home. I don't like you being around a filthy huuuuuman."

"They're not ALL bad." Green insisted, holding up her hands. "Just because some birds are black, it does not follow that all birds are blackbirds. Thinking like that is a fallacy."

Zim blinked in surprise. Green had NEVER talked like that before.

Something WAS going on inside her head. Something very big.

…

…

…

…Grey's black claws curled, and then he scraped it down the wall as he looked at the body lying on the floor. He'd been stabbed right in the back of the neck and blood pooled around his body, fouling the air with it's salty-iron taste.

Clyde…how? HOW?

A sense of fury filling him, Grey did his best to keep it under control and carefully got on his knees, sniffing the air. He could smell…brimstone…fire…

…COCO. By Chanel.

Pele and Hiaka wore that scent…and Esmeralda always had that tiny scent of brimstone to her. Grey was horrified. How could they be involved in something like this?

He sniffed the air again. It was hard to sort through the smells but-

…no. Oh no.

That faintly sick smell of bad lemons…that smell belonged to Jack.

"I knew I'd find you here."

A sharp pain jabbed him in the back, and something went into his system. Grey HOWLED to the sky, arching back in agony as Jack stood there, with the girls by his side. He tossed and turned on the ground, then began to growl. "Yyyyrrrr aaahhhhhsss aaaahhhhkkkkk frreeeeeaaaakk…"

"Is that…LANGUAGE? Are you trying to articulate, Grey?" Jack laughed. "Insult me, even? Look at you. Remember when you used to look HUMAN in the mirror?" He smirked, his purple eyes glinting. "Then you devolved when you inherited your father's bestial self. His animal self and you are one and the same. That's all you are…a zoo animal"

"Why…are…you…DOING THIS?" Grey hissed, getting up to his taloned feet, claws clenching and unclenching. "That was…your FATHER, damn it! What was his…his sin?"

"He was going to TELL on my mother and get the Clan thrown in jail. Loyalty, Grey. You CAN'T break a bond of trust." Jack told him. "But that's not the only reason I've been killing. You see…you can't try and reason with me. I'm not someone who can be bullied or negotiated with. I'm not in this for wealth or profit. I'm just somebody who wants to see the world BURN!" Jack cackled, throwing back his head and laughing. "When you get right down to it, I'm just exposing you all for what you really are."

"How…DARE you." Grey hissed. A cold fire was going through his veins but he fought against it, even as blood oozed out his nose and mouth. "How…DARE…YOU…"

"Deep down, nobody's really good. When all law is stripped away, we're all just BEASTS deep down." He insisted. "Lilo just tried to cover up with hugs and love and sweet words what Stitch was always meant to be…a killer."

Pele and Hiaka looked at Jack. "Want us to hold him down?" They asked.

"No, remember, this thing won't kill him. Me and Ezzie can handle this." Jack insisted as Esmeralda nodded. The two girls left the room as Jack went on. "Ezzie here does whatever I say because she's seen enough of people's darkest lusts. She knows what I'm saying is true. And she'll get her boyfriend on my side soon enough."

"You're sick…need…help…" Grey growled, getting on his knees and coughing madly.

"YOU'RE the one who's on his knees." Jack remarked. He raised up a small little black inhaler. "This is Hypercortisone X." He informed Grey. "I've have Gizmo do some research for me and wouldn't you know it…he came up with a fine new steroid." He inhaled it and breathed deep, expelling some light pink gas out of his mouth. "Makes you feel like you're a movie star being directed by God, on location in Heaven."

Grey took deep breaths, trying to steady himself. "Drugged…up…"

"I'm the worst nightmare of any human, you know. A very angry, vengeful experiment on DRUGS. Kinda like Chopsuey was." Jack laughed madly. "It enhances my entire body for five hours straight. Wanna taste, you mongrel?" Jack asked, smirking at Grey.

"…YOU!" Grey suddenly summoned forth a burst of power and jumped forth, knocking Esmeralda away and pinning Jack to the ground. His fur bristled and his hair got thicker along with his fangs, talons and claws as his eyes gleamed down at Jack.

"You're RIGHT!" Grey snarled. "Every day I look in the mirror and I compare myself to how I used to be! I have the body of a beast! So why don't I just eat you alive right now? Make you SCREAM as I peel the flesh from your face?"

He pressed his forehead against Jack's, getting VERRRY close, fangs bared angrily. "Shall I tell you why? It's because I believe in music and love and kindness and the DECENCY of people! It's because when I hold a claw to my arm and cut, my blood…is RED! **I AM A HUMAN BEING AND WE DON'T BELIEVE IN THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE!**"

SCHLORK!

Another needle went into his back and Grey gasped in pain. Falling to the ground, off of Jack, who panted heavily. "That…was a close one." He told Esmeralda. "Why didn't you inject him sooner?"

"I wanted to hear his point." She explained. "So where do we dump him?"

"…somewhere he'll cause the most damage. Let's make it the middle of town…" He remarked, rubbing his paws together.

Outside the window, a pair of eyes glinted behind a pair of sunglasses. Green hair bobbed in the breeze…and then the form leapt up and away…

…

…

…

… Skoodge frowned as he sat in his chair, looking at those strapped into the Nightmare Generator.

The girl, Lilo, was sobbing tearfully. Apparently she was forcibly reliving her parent's deaths over and over. The boy, Nick, had a look of horror and sorrow on his face that made Skoodge's body chill over. What was he SEEING?

Snizzi, calmly leaning on the side of the wall, twitched his bladed tail, looking somewhat amused. "Poor thing. He's dreaming about seeing Earth die in front of his eyes. Well, not Earth so much as every living thing on it, magical and otherwise. Old, young, man, women, child, angel and demon and all in between…" He sighed. "That was MY home reality he saw die, and it was because of his appearance. A single stone cast into a pond creates ripples. His interference, his attempt to turn that which was evil GOOD, created a new, stronger evil in it's place…"

"And it killed everyone?" Tenn asked softly.

"Everyone and everything, including itself. Except Nick." Snizzi remarked, gesturing at Nick, who was now silently crying.

"…he was fourteen." The imp added. "He couldn't really HANDLE what he was seeing. Thankfully, the situation righted itself, but for him, in this world you've strapped him into, there IS no deus ex machina to aid him now."

Tenn was unable to stand looking at them and was digging her gloved claws into Skoodge's shoulder as she looked at them. "Oh IRK, this is too cruel…" She whispered.

"…we can't do this." Skoodge decided. He carefully walked over to Nick and Lilo, holding up a tranquilizer gun. He raised it their necks and pumped them full of enough knockout juice to send them to Dizzytown for a good, long vacation, then took the machine's hooked tentacles off their head.

"You're letting them go?" Snizzi asked quietly.

"Yes." Skoodge said, nodding his head. "I can't do this to them anymore. I'm going to let them all go, once…" He bit his lip. "Once I work up the courage…"

"One bit at a time." Snizzi said gently, lifting Nick and Lilo over his shoulders and grinning. "One bit at a time. Us three are the only ones who know exactly who came after Rupert and Ariel and I won't tell anyone if YOU don't." He laughed.

He quickly made his way out of the lab and deposited Nick and Lilo in their hammock, outside of their home. "I can't tell if I'm being merciful to you, spiteful of Zim or just trying to make things interesting." He remarked, shrugging a little.

He then thought about it…and gently placed Lilo's arm over Nick, allowing them to hold each other close in their sleep. "Sleep well, my beloved." He said gently, patting Nick's face. "Sleep well."


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

_What is the price we pay for power?_

What is the price we pay for protection?

Not for ourselves but for the ones we love?

Isn't it true that a parent will do terrible things to save the child they love? HORRIBLE things?

God forgive me, but it is often true. A parent will do almost anything to save their child.

Try as we might to deny it, when bad things happen to us, we can't deny the fact that though we wished it had happened to someone else, ALL of us are "someone else" to someone else.

And in the face of horror and fear…we must unite.

Patch placed her paws together as she nervously looked up from the bench that Elvis himself had sat at so many years ago. "…I…don't think I should talk to you about this." She mumbled.

Vassago was calmly standing before her, looking at her. He tilted his head to the side slightly. "Why not?" He asked politely.

"I've learned about demons from reading books." Patch said. "Never trust a demon, they can have 100 reasons for wanting to help you and 99 would be malevolent."

"That's how the saying goes, eh?" Vassago laughed.

"And if the demon LIKES you, that's cause to be even more scared." Patch went on.

Vassago turned around and held up his hands. "So I'm a "demon". Well…you know what I say to that?"

He then smiked. "Trog."

Patch's head shot up. Her eyes narrowed. "What…did…you…"

"Hymie. Nigger. Spic. Haole. Raghead."

Patch blinked, unsure of what was going on.

"Aspie. Dyke. Redneck. Limey. Bible-Thumper, Baby-Killer…"

He turned around and spread his arms out, the hawk insignia on the back of his jacket glowing as the sunset shone brightly behind him. "These are all just terms used by other people to demean those who are DIFFERENT than they are either because of race, species or belief. Ultimately all of us are the same. To a fire, we ALL burn just the same." He remarked softly. "Demon" is another term. But like all terms, you do not have to live up to the stereotype if you chose not to."

He smiled and patted Patch on the head. "I can tell you're not demonically possessed. But I want you to understand that anything you might be hiding…anything you want to keep secret to ensure that you won't get a label…you have the power to cast that label aside, do you understand?" He asked gently.

"…yeah, I do." Patch admitted.

Vassago smiled and rubbed her head. "Good." He told her. "Now then, let me take you home."

…

…

…

…Sari shivered as the man looked down at her.

He was always in her room. Too often. Making her do things for him. Hitting her when she didn't do it fast enough. She heard him yelling and striking the other patients in the other rooms too….

"Sari, pay attention." Director Bartok snapped. He had a metal, lugnut-shaped left eye and a closely trimmed moustache and beard with scraggly hair. He was a horrid being and a terrible doctor because his heart was as black as the small hole in the center of the lugnut eye. "You don't want to dissapont me or tomorrow it'll be no food again."

"I want to go to…to the blue room…"

SLAP!

A slap across the face. "I despise your weakness." He snapped at her. She rocked back and forth, whimpering, body twitching. "Just crack those codes. It's all you're good for."

"Your face is red…" She mumbled.

"Your face is going to be MUCH redder if you don't get this done." He threatened. "I know you are not a fan of the color red, Sari. If you do not do as I instruct, I shall personally incarcerate you in a bright red room for the rest of your days! And the only gumdrops you'll ever get are those red ones you hate so much! So..." he leaned down and forward to make eye-contact with her. "Are you going to do as I instruct you, Miss Sari?"

Sari nodded, twitching slightly.

"Good. Very good." Bartook took out a notepad of paper with number on it and slammed it hard on the table in front of Sari. "Get cracking, kid." He said, walking out of the room.

Sari looked down at the notepad he'd left. It had a pencil attached to it. She picked up the pencil and looked at it, then began to write down the numbers slowly and methodically. She wanted to eat. Maybe pudding. She hadn't had pudding in a long time…

Sari awoke to see Pleakley was there, rubbing her cheek as she lay in her blue-painted room. "Are you alright, princess?" Pleakley asked gently.

Sari didn't anything. She just hugged herself and shivered, the tears dripping down her cheeks. "Don't hit me anymore." She thought, Director Bartok's face still present in her mind.

She had fallen for his lies. His awful lies…

"So you see, Miss Sari; everything then works out. You do my codes; I let you live in the blue room and not the red. Everybody wins."

"Everybody wins…"

…

…

…

… "Hmm-hmm-hmmmmm…"

She was tall and beautiful as far as Irkens went, with the most lovely pair of light blue eyes anybody had ever seen, a soft smile and a light blue dress to go with it that had a flowing cape of silver. There were large eyelashes that made her eyes even more beautiful and she was looking over a training schedule with one long, three-clawed hand whilst the other was cupped and focusing on making something very special.

"Annnnnnd THERE." Lady Miyuki said, finishing her beautiful new piece of art. It was a small art piece made entirely of water…and it was shaped exactly like the two people who had just walked inside of her room.

"Ah, Red, Purple, how ARE my two favorite advisors today?" She asked happily, placing the schedule down on her desk and striding past the large windows of her office. She held up the sculpture of the two tall (though not as tall as her) Irkens and placed it on the desk before them. "I made this for you." She said.

"My lady, we are both concerned." Red spoke. He wore a tight-fitting shirt and pants that were similar to bellbottoms, as well as having wristbands and a long, flowing vest which was the same color as his eyes, a bright crimson. His brother, Purple, had the same outfit, only his matched HIS eye color, a lovely violet. "Should we not be concerned with this?"

"Concerned with what? Whatever do you mean, Red?" She laughed gently.

"As you know, having powers has become a far more common occurrence among Irkens since our interactions with the humans." Purple spoke up. "Having our race "blessed" has allowed us to advance ourselves in ways we never knew…we're not even affected by water anymore!"

"Also, I thoroughly enjoy my "Gravity" powers." Red said, hovering off the ground, surrounded by an orange glow. "And Purple's wind powers are an aid to him as well."

"I can now beat EVERYONE at volleyball!" He laughed. "But the Hierophant has spoken to us that a danger is coming from one who has Irken blood." He added quietly.

"An IMMENSE danger." Red agreed. "You know what happens when an Irken loses control of his thoughts and emotions…"

Miyuki laughed happily, picking up a glass of water and whistling. The water soared around her, forming a beautiful little ocean as dolphins leapt in and out of it. "Do I LOOK like I'm losing control? Oh Reddy, Pur, don't worry…everything is different now. We don't need to be afraid of our powers like we used to be."

She gently patted their cheeks. "What harm could a single Irken with an elemental power be?" She asked.

"It's the one power that no other Irken has demonstrated yet…" Red said sadly as Miyuki stepped back, returning the water to the cup. "…that of fire."

Miyuki gasped, dropping the cup form her hands. It shattered on the floor. "You mean…the Phoenix's "Blessing"?" She asked.

"Yes." Purple said, nodding. "The Hierophant says that one with Irken blood on Earth will soon gain the blessing of the Phoenix. And as the prophecies have foretold in our scripture, she comes to "disinfect" the galaxy by burning away all that it sees unfit…"

Miyuki frowned and looked out the window at the large city rooftops. "…we have left our days of conquering and cruelty behind us. Through collaboration with other races such as the Vortians and the Earthlings, our kind evolved. We're not warmongers any more. But if word got out that a cosmic destroyer with Irken blood flowing through his or her veins was coming onto the scene, then…our relations with other races would be set back centuries. The galaxy is still forgiving us."

She sighed. "I…do not give this order lightly. But it must be done. Contact the Hierophant. You shall go to Earth and find the one the Phoenix plans to give its blessing to. It will not be that hard…" She turned her head. "And…"

She hesitated. Then sighed, turning back to look out the window. "You know what must be done."

"Yes milady." They both said, nodding their heads and turning away to walk out the door.

Meanwhile, far away, Green stiffened up, blinking as she looked up from her latest project: her attempt at building a scale-model of a T-Rex. She had an odd feeling that something had just happened that concerned HER.

…

…

…

…Lilo and Nick were in the middle of the town, talking with Legion and Belle.

"So that's it?" Nick asked quietly.

Legion nodded, tears filling his eyes. "I'm…sorry." He admitted. "You were so kind to me, both of you. You gave me a home and treated me with love and I've…I've repaid you like this." He covered his eyes and sobbed. "I'm no better than I was when I was first created…I'm just scum."

"Hon…" Belle said gently, placing her paw on his back.

Lilo gently lifted Legion's paws away from his eyes. "Calm down." She said gently. "We're not gonna get angry with you. You're _ohana_, we forgive you. You came forward…this means a lot."

"And it means we have a lot to do." Nick said. "We've got to track Jack down. How has he even been moving so fast?"

"I can answer that."

Lilo, Nick, Legion and Belle turned around to see a human in a black, cloaked jacket. He wore a white shirt underneath the jacket and a bandolier with a sword attached to his back. White wings sprung from the black hilt of the sword, angelic and soft, with black, tip-less gloves on his hands. He had black pants and brown shoes with tightly-bound laces and his eyes had a dark beauty to them…they were beautiful in the same way that a thunderstorm was beautiful. Terrible and frightening, yet…awe-inspiring.

"It's because Jack's been taking drugs. Specifically Hypercortisone X." The human said. He had emerald green hair that shot out in three thick locks at the top of his head, with two long strands that fell down across his face, almost over his eyes. He tossed them a black inhaler and Legion caught. "In the interest of science I tried it. I felt angelic and VERY insane for about five hours, then threw up in an alley."

"…The Chariot." Nick realized. "So it's come to that, then?" He frowned slightly, looking over this member of the Major Arcana.

"Heartwing…" Lilo began sadly.

"DRACO Heartwing, miss." Draco Heartwing spoke softly. His voice was firm and resolute…every word he said was truth and nothing but. "My other half's far gone now. As his "human self", I resent being compared to that animal."

"He was a good, innocent being." Nick growled.

"It got him killed. But he died as he lived, innocent but noble, which I respect." Draco said, crossing his arms. "Now then…" He put sunglasses on from a pocket inside his cloaked jacket. "Trying to track Jack down will be hard because he's now got help. A LOT of help. And access to people's private, confidential psychiatric files because Gizmo's been hacking quite a lot of computers lately, such as Dr. Jookiba's private computer files…"

"Jack's gonna know ALL our secrets?" Lilo asked, eyes wide.

"And act on them." Draco admitted. "Furthermore, I have reason to suspect that the Hypercortisone X is triggering a mutation in him that's granting him a miasma of charisma…allowing him to woo more people over to his side. But that's kind of not as important as what we've got to do now." He held up an open hand. "Prepare for a huge problem in five…four…three…two…one…"

City hall promptly had its front side blown up, doors, windows and all. A black-furred form with white eyes that had a red tint at the bottom was there in front of city hall, claws clenching, grinning eagerly. His grey chest was SUPER hairy and his claws and talons were larger than before…

His tie-dyed pants had become shades of black and grey…this was Ele Hiwa…the darkest form that Grey could become…and quite possibly the most dangerous person on the island.

"Proooooobleeeeem…" White said, crossing his arms and frowning as he, Darth, Myr, Nacht and Alex looked at Ele Hiwa walking through the streets, tossing cars and chunks of ground through the air as if they were paper wads. "Okay, who's got this one?"

"Okay, I might be able to stop him if I go ballistic." Alex said, focusing his power. He clenched his fist and a change overcame him, his body shrinking and altering. Soon he was a grey-furred being with deep human eyes. "Heh-heh…mood swings, extra arms, strength RIPPLING through my body…I feel like a Hindu sex god!" Alex laughed as he took his new form. His fur was dark grey, almost charcoal grey, and similar in basic form to Stitch's. He had five fingers and toes, was taller than Stitch was, and his fur, claws, antennae and spikes were edgier and harder.

"I cannot believe Grey has succumbed." Darth said simply, sadly.

Alex sighed. "Listen…I'm gonna go all out…but I think if I go TOO deep into the power I'll rip the planet apart, I'll kill every last one of you and I don't want that to happen, not again." He said quietly.

He focused and his eyes turned red for a moment…

FWOOOM! A black aura that made those around him feel like bugs were wrapping around them shot up from his body before fading away and clearing the air. Red energy arcs surrounded his skin, tightening more and more, and tentacles rose up from his back, made of plasma energy.

"Don't worry Alex…I don't expect you to last that long against him anyhow!" White sniggered.

"And I'm here to assist you in keeping control of your mind." Darth went on, carving a symbol onto Alex's back. "That seal will be like a tether connecting my mind to yours." He added. "If you start to stray…I'll put you back on track. You will do fine, my boy. We have faith in you…MOST of us." He added, frowning at White.

"You don't understand…" Alex growled out, managing to hold onto his mind. "I ended one of my half's homes without having any powers, reducing an entire planet to dust. And I can't die, Grey will just tire himself out before I kill him, I have almost no control over it!"

"Like I said…you won't last long!" White laughed…then he "GAAAKED" as one plasma tentacle throttled him and held him in the air. "I was JOKING, calm down!" He gasped out.

Alex frowned and tossed White to the ground, then leapt through the air, heading to the streets.

"You can't hide from me forever, Nick…" Ele Hiwa called out. "WHERE ARE YOU…you passed me to your son…stop trying to hide from your own creation…"

Then he turned his head, his nostrils flaring. "I KNOW that scent. Alex."

Alex stood there in his experiment form, the plasma tentacles writhing on his back. "I know why you're here." He spoke quietly. "But there's no reason for us to fight. People have choices, free will…"

"You don't get it." Ele Hiwa spoke up quietly. "I'm not here to fight."

"Oh, good, that's-"

"I'll just play with you until I'm bored." Ele Hiwa remarked, spreading his arms up in a nonchalant shrug. "Then Ele Hiwa will eat you."

"Yeah, that isn't going to happen." Alex remarked, eyes narrowing, glowing slightly. Ele Hiwa smirked a bit.

"Are you trying to CONTROL me? Using Checker's power? Or maybe Precious? I'm a MIXED BREED. That won't work. And since you were kind enough to go first…it's MY turn."

Ele Hiwa rushed forward, large black claws slashing. Alex backflipped away and landed deftly, but then had to spiral backwards again as the black experiment's claws struck deep into the ground, barely missing him once again. He was FAST…and STRONG.

"You can't dodge me forever, little one." Ele Hiwa spoke simply.

"Dodge THESE." Alex snapped, mouth opening up, paw palms spread outward. They glowed bright orange and balls of fire shot forth, slamming into Ele Hiwa and spreading smoke up through the air. Alex smirked…

Then he gasped as Ele Hiwa stood there, dusting himself off. They hadn't done ANYTHING.

"I was hoping for something more…MORE." Ele Hiwa remarked.

"You mean like THIS?" Alex growled, as he began to lose himself in the dark recesses of his mind, diving deeper into the darkness in his heart. Power…give me more POWER, he thought.

Darth growled deeply, his white eyes bulging and turning bloodshot. "It's…getting harder…to keep him under control!" Darth whispered. "He's losing himself in bloodlust!"

"Little one...little halfling..." The tainted being that had once been Grey approached Alex, hearing his words. The others backed off. "You do not understand. Ele Hiwa does not tire...does not stop...I can play with you forever. But sooner or later, the human half within you must sleep. Then you will be ripe...I will never go away. Will you play, little one?" He asked softly, raising up his clawed hand, eyes glittering. "Play...until death?"

Images of the past flash through Alex's mind as Ele Hiwa approached, dark memories of time long gone. From the pit of his skull, Oblivion starts to re-emerge, taking control. Alex clenched his fists tightly. "Grey, I don't know if you can hear me…but if you can, know this!" Alex whispered. "Two creatures of infinite strength fight now. But I hope you regain your mind…BEFORE I LOSE MINE!"

Alex threw his head back, screeching to the now-darkening sky, and charged towards Ele Hiwa, his feet hovering just above the ground.

Alex KICKED Ele Hiwa through the air and into a pole, and Ele Hiwa fell to the ground. Grabbing the pole and snarling, Alex slammed it down over and over and over-

Until Ele Hiwa grabbed ahold of it and smirked right into Alex's eyes.

THWONKA!

It was batting practice and Alex was the ball. He went sailing through the air, over the town's rooftops. Ele Hiwa bounded through the air, laughing madly as he raced after Alex, who re-righted himself in mid-air and kicked off a rooftop.

The two collided in mid-air, punching and kicking each other with blows that would have broken through titanium. The other people of the town stayed FAR away, yet watched with definite interest as they continued to pound at each other, growling and snarling.

The two separated, circling each other. Alex raised his paws up and swirling blasts of ice formed as he imitated Slushy's power. Ele Hiwa smirked as Alex tossed these harsh bombs of ice at him, then slashed them apart into fine crystals that sprinkled to the ground. He rushed forward…

Alex smirked and snapped his fingers, and lightning shot through his claws, surging towards Ele Hiwa and making him quiver madly. "HA!" Alex laughed.

CLOMP!

Ele Hiwa suddenly lunged forward and BIT into Alex's shoulder. A horrid surge of pain shot through Alex and he howled as he reeled back, blue/black blood oozing down as Ele Hiwa gulped down the chunk of skin and muscle he'd just eaten, then spat out a piece of bone, the bits of electricity fading away.

"You taste pretty good." He complimented. "I'll like to eat you whole, but to do that I'd have to knock you out, and you wouldn't let me do that. Ele Hiwa will simply eat you piece by piece." He flexed his claws and rushed forward again. "You're dead!"

"Me Tarzan." Alex remarked, jumping clear over Ele Hiwa and grabbing him by his long ears, tossing him through the air. He then focused power into a hot ball of plasma and shot it through the air, laughing as it struck Ele Hiwa's back.

BOOOOOM!

Ele Hiwa fell to the ground, trembling. He got back up and turned around, eyes narrowed. "That didn't hurt…" He announced.

"THIS MIGHT." Alex remarked. Ele Hiwa blinked as Alex, brow furrowed, held up a large "Dick's Sporting Goods" store above his head and thrust it down on top of Ele Hiwa. He clapped his hands together, rubbed his healed-up shoulder and stepped back…

BOOOM! The door flew open and Ele Hiwa held up a basketball in his clawed hand, popping it with a single claw. "That didn't hurt either…but I admit, I FELT it." He remarked, shrugging as the basketball limped to the ground.

"You'll feel **this** too!" Alex snarled, his muscles pumping, the plasma tentacles wrapped around his arms now. He SLAMMED his fist into Ele Hiwa's face and the black experiment flew to the side, slicing through a car and colliding hard with a hardware store. Ele Hiwa gasped as he held his head, a gash on the side of it that was QUITE bloodied up. He snarled and dove forward and punched ALEX across the face before Alex could react…

KRA-CRUNCH!

Alex sank to his knees, gasping…and he felt his nose. It was shattered…a mushy MESS.

His eyes narrowed and he rose up, hissing. "I am VERY cross about this. VERY-VERY-VERY…CROSS INDEED!" He snarled. **"I LOOK LIKE A BLOODY HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER!"**' He howled, grabbing a nearby SUV and throwing it through the air.

WOOSH! It soared over Ele Hiwa's head and decimated an ice cream parlor, making several people moan. A pet store owner nearby ran for his life as the animals within the premises vacated their once-home just in time to avoid having a large fireball roast them all up. Lilo and Nick looked at each other as White shook his head, seeing a bar go up in flames and exploding into little bits. "What a waste." He remarked.

"The property damage is mounting in the millions." Draco remarked calmly as the two fighting experiments made their way towards the jungle, razing and clawing trees and flora down as they fought their way across the island. "And the damage to the island is becoming considerable."

"Do you think either one can actually WIN?" Lilo asked.

"…Grey's "The Strength"." Nick said quietly, folding his arms in front of his chest. "The thing is, when he's actually FOCUSED, there isn't any limit to what he can do with his physical prowess. Right now he's losing himself in animal rage. He might not be as strong as he's supposed to be, but he's freakin' close. And Alex has planet-destroying power and HE'S losing himself in bloodlust too…"

BWWWOOOOOOM!

They watched as Alex began to grow to ENORMOUS size and he let out a shriek of anger and rage as he and Ele Hiwa stood on Kokaua Town beach. He began to pummel Ele Hiwa into the ground over and over, snarling all the while, all sanity stripped away.

THUMPA-THUMPA-THUMPA-THUMPA!

"I don't like this one bit. White!" Darth yelled out. "Property restoration, PRONTO! Nacht, Myr, come with me." He said, rushing through the streets. "We've got to take down these Goliaths and fast."

Meanwhile, Alex was continuing to punch away at Ele Hiwa, driving him deeper into the ground…

But then Ele Hiwa caught his fist and Alex's consciousness, which was now utterly devoid of reason and control, felt a new emotion go through him.

FEAR.

"Awful, isn't it, when we recognize the madman that lurks inside us all, little one?" Ele Hiwa whispered. "The Destroyer of Worlds within all humanity…that bestial self…a raw animal that seeks to maim and kill…and a SMART one at THAT!"

THWOOOM! Alex fell to the ground, shrinking back down to normal size as Ele Hiwa dusted himself off, blood all over his body, leaking out from his mouth and wounds on his face and chest. Bit by bit they were healing up as he advanced. "Hmm…looks like you're actually close to being knocked out. I might get to enjoy eating you whole after all." He commented.

Then he noticed he was sinking and he looked down, seeing he was now up to his chest in glass. Nacht stood there, paw on the ground, frowning.

"Really, such violence is unbecoming." He admitted. "We're TRYING to ensure that you're calming-down is carried out with some level of dignity." He went on.

"Much obliged." Ele Hiwa whispered, eyes glinting as he shattered the glass prison around him, jumping up.

BOOOOOW! A guitar riff sent him flying back as Myr slung the guitar across his shoulder. "That'll knock him out." Myr said. "A good strike to the head-"

Ele Hiwa calmly got back up, sighing. "Myr, I know you're the "Judgement"…but Major Arcana powers don't work on other members, and I AM "The Strength"…" He remarked. "Ele Hiwa's power cannot be stopped by your own."

Ele Hiwa gasped as a set of claws slashed at his side and he looked around. "Well what do you know? Alex has gone INVISIBLE?"

"Not just HIM…" Darth remarked. "We've almost got you!"

"Almost got me"?" Ele Hiwa laughed. "My hearing is ten times better than any normal experiment's, and my sense of smell makes even STITCH jealous. I assure you that while one sense might be blind to you…the others are all OVER you!" He sneered, backhanding Darth through the air. The Irken's cloaked disguise vanished and he hit a palm tree, groaning in pain, his back almost broken.

"And Alex, invisibility IS a nice trick…but for the record little halfing…next time, you should HOLD YOUR BREATH!" Ele Hiwa hissed, diving through the air and grabbing ahold of Alex, who thrashed around in Ele Hiwa's grip. "Now that's…ENOUGH." Ele Hiwa snapped, slamming one fist into the side of Alex's head. "Consider this to be APPLIED-"

CRACK!

"REASONING-"

CRASK!

"POWER!"

CRA-CRACK!

Alex was barely able to groan…but his consciousness was returning to him as his plasma tentacles tried vainly to sting Ele Hiwa, only to find they couldn't pierce the fur. He staggered up…then flopped to the ground. Ele Hiwa licked his lips, looking very hungry.

"Ele Hiwa's worked up an appetite. You're not fully knocked out, but after all the pain you've just put me through…" He held his chest. "I think you actually shattered two ribs and my legs are on FIRE…"

He grinned. "You DESERVE to be alive and conscious for the remaining ten painful minutes you have left alive."

His mouth opened…impossibly wide, teeth sparking.

"You won't…beat me." Alex growled. "I…will just…repower up and…bust out of your stomach!" He hissed.

"Hmm." Ele Hiwa rubbed his chin. "You're right. I can tell you're already regaining your strength. I suppose I'll just have to strip enough of it away so that what little remains won't be enough to hurt me from within…"

He grabbed ahold of Alex's arms and smiled coldly. "But enough to make you realize how powerless you are compared to Ele Hiwa."

But what happened instead was a large, burning fire that surged through both bodies. When it was finished, they stood there, blinking. Alex regained clarity first and tried to summon forth a fireball to blow Ele Hiwa back...

But nothing came up. His powers had been-

"Hmm...a nullification instead of absorption." Ele Hiwa remarked. "THAT'S new. Since I don't know how long this will last, I'd better get started." He decided, licking his lips, claws tightening their grip on the wrists.

"Only Zeta Energy stops my powers, and that is sealed within my heart!" he looked up at the being that had once been Grey, frowning. "You have thirty minutes before my powers return, but you will not be around that long. What you have done to him is sick, you've turned an honorable member of the trinity into a shell to hold you!"

Alex straightened up his body, drawing his machete from beneath his trench coat. "I only can lift ten times my weight now, and I don't wish to hurt someone so kind, but if I must, I will do all I can to end your threat." He told Ele Hiwa as he entered a battle stance.

But they never got the chance to find out who would win, because a voice shot out through the air…

"That's enough."

Alex felt a warm dampness around his wrists. Looking down at them, he saw blood running down them. His indestructibility was gone, Ele Hiwa had severed his arteries. He looked up at the demon and whispered, unheard to all other ears, "What have you done?" His eyesight began to darken, but he strained to hear Nicks words.

Ele Hiwa looked up to see Nick was standing there, arms crossed. His eyes narrowed. "Why are you interrupting my meal?"

"Do you know WHY I passed you onto my son? Why I couldn't hold onto you and my diabolical self?" He inquired.

"Because you were AFRAID of me…" Ele Hiwa hissed. "DISGUSTED with me and with your diabolical self."

"I needed to be pure so that I could fully understand others better." Nick went on. "Do you want to know if I regret it?"

Ele Hiwa let go of Alex and stomped forward, his hair bristling angrily as he grabbed ahold of Nick's neck. "Why don't you tell me?"

"I'll do you one better." Nick said.

Ele Hiwa blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Eh?"

"I'm gonna SHOW you." Nick said. He grasped Ele Hiwa's head. _**"Take a look…through my eeeeeyes…"**_

And in that instant, Ele Hiwa saw every single part of Nick's life. EVERY act he'd ever done from the teen's perspective…growing up and then becoming an adult, and then passing his bestial self onto his son. He saw Nick come back, saw moments with Lilo, saw the pride Nick had in his son, on how WELL Grey had put his new gift to use…and something else.

Pride in his bestial self…pride in the animal within…pride of how it had been used for good reasons, used to save lives and defend _ohana_.

Ele Hiwa let go of Nick's neck and sank to his knees, beginning to cry. He covered his eyes. "You…were PROUD of me?" He asked. "Not just your son, but…of me too?"

"I can't stay mad at MYSELF, and you're a part of myself. I'm proud of you. Always have been."

"But Dad!"

Grey's voice now came through Ele Hiwa. "I've done awful things." He said. "And I've dreamed about doing bad things as well…I wouldn't actually DO those things I dream of doing to the people I hate…not REALLY, but…but if you've never had those thoughts…if you don't hate people the way I do, and I see you haven't…that means…"

Grey now manifested fully, his fur returning to it's normal grey tone, his claws and talons shrinking slightly, his eyes turning black with that green tint. "That means you've got better morals than I do."

Nick shook his head, sighing. "Of COURSE I'm morally better than you are." He said, gently patting Grey's head, making his son blink. "If you were just as good of heart as I was and as innocent, then I wouldn't have anything to teach you and I wouldn't be a good dad!"

"And if you both had the same moral compass, then you wouldn't be YOU, you'd just be a clone of Nick." Lilo added. "You have the ruthlessness in you to take the life of those that are evil, something neither of us have, and it's something that you NEED to have for the work that you do." She admitted. "We don't want a perfect son."

"We just want you. And we HAVE you and you know…" Nick knelt down on one knee and held his son's cheek, looking into his eyes and giving his son a warm smile. "I love you just the way you are. And the same goes for everyone else in our large _ohana_. I will love them no matter what they do. Do you understand?" He asked gently.

Grey blinked…then sobbed tearfully and clung to his father tightly. "Daaaaaaddyyyyyyyy…"He wailed as Lilo held him tightly as well. "Moommmyyyyy…"

Alex moaned, struggling to stand upright…but then White gently patted him on the shoulder and handed him a small vial for him to drink. He sipped the green goo, and then spat out a single tooth from his mouth as he looked over at Grey.

"I could have killed him." He said.

"You could have and almost did." White said. "I was watching. If you'd been really focused…"

"He was ready to finish me." Alex realized. "He severed my arteries, he…ugh…" Alex held his head.

"He could have done a lot worse to you than what he did." White remarked. "He's got two shattered ribs that are already working on healing themselves and strained leg. You've lost three pints of blood from those arteries, a tooth, and your nose is busted to hell. You two BOTH got off lucky."

"How much of Grey is the beast and how much of him is human?" Alex wondered.

"Those two are one in the same." White said, shrugging. "Deep down, they're both kids. And they seek one thing…they don't do the things they do because they're monsters, they just want to prove to their old man that they should be proud of them."

Alex gave a small laugh…and then his face dropped "He's a lucky person, I'm split straight 50, 50. He was just lucky my bloodlust stopped when it did, the darkness within wants is to devour every last life form on Earth, coupling that with my immortality, it would have succeeded." He looked up at White "Why didn't you let me die?"

"You're more interesting **alive**"." White said, walking away with a wave. "That's all the reason I need."

Suddenly, White felt a cold coil around his neck, choking him. Turning around, he saw one of Alex's fingers had become a thin strand of wire.

"For the first time in over a year, I felt mortality. I could have finally died. Immortality, it allows you to see such wonderful things, but it's also a curse!"

White frowned. He snapped his fingers and a pink surge of chaos energy shredded the wire into dust, time aging it away.

"I can't die either." He snapped. "I don't grow old, I don't age, and I've got nobody to love. So get up. Keep walking. Your legs might not be as fast as mine, but you're strong enough to keep moving forward until you find a reason to live." He remarked, turning around, his pink eyes looking deep into Alex's. "Like I did."

A small smirk crept up one side of Alex's face "Good thing I made that tentacle one you could destroy, else your head would be detached, and ALSO-!" his face dropped again and he rushed at White, grabbing him under his chin and lifting him into the air. "I HAD something to care for once, but I destroyed it when I lost control, that's why I long death, not for peace, but to protect!"

He released his grip, dropping White to the ground gasping, before striding out the doorway, his coat shortening into his burlap jacket.

White watched him go, then shook his head, unsure of what to feel...pity? Disgust? Hatred?

Then he knew what he felt. He stood up.

"You're a good person." He called after Alex. "...but even in death...you won't be saved." He spoke quietly, shaking his head. "Neither of us will." He remarked, a single tear going down his cheek as at last he closed his eyes fully. "Not ever..."

A voice crept into his head, it wasn't Alex's, there was too much of a hiss, but it was similar as a chilling cold entered his body.

_"You're right, he won't be saved, not once one of the others takes control!"_

White blinked at this. Then…

"Hey, Alex." White remarked. "I've got something that might actually cheer you up a little." He said gently, approaching Alex, who turned around and stopping the chill. The albino placed it in Alex's hand as the Briton turned around, patted that hand and gave Alex a small smile before vanishing.

When Alex opened up his hand he saw a diamond that was just the sort of thing you would put on a concert suit...stolen from the year 1977, June 27th. Along with a note.

"This ISN'T a piece a glass. Hugs and kisses...

White."

Alex blinked as he looked it over with Nick and Lilo as Grey headed back into town with the others to help fix the town up some more. "I know I should be flattered, but it does anger me that he stole from Elvis."

"ELVIS? GIMME!" Lilo said, snatching it out of his hand and looking it over. "Oooooooh."

"It could be worse." Nick remarked. "Last year he gave me Angelina Jolie's wedding ring...from moments before her wedding. Yeah, that...messed up time considerably." He sighed. "If I were you, I'd look at it this way: nobody's gonna notice and Elvis isn't gonna need it anymore."

"Well, don't take the other, Echo has it. At least I know what to get you for your birthday" He then ruffled Lilo's hair. "You know, if you want stuff that belonged to Elvis, you should head round my place!" he laughed, watching as Lilo held the crystal in her hands.

…meanwhile, the Wyrd Sisters were tied up, The Chariot looking down at them, frowning deeply. "Alright…I'm going to say this simply so you DON'T misunderstand."

He unsheathed his sword. "You've been in contact with Ace. I know he's been up to something. BUILDING something that has to do with Niihau. The one who spills their guts…doesn't get their guts spilled."

"You actually think…"

"That we'd betray…"

"A confidence?"

"To save your own skin, yes." Draco Heartwing reasoned, the sword tip touching Vera's long nose. "Talk."

"N-No, we…we won't…"

"Then you die first. I DO keep my word." He said quietly, moving the sword forward with a single quick SHOVE.

Well…Skulla ended up telling him what little she actually knew…which really, was only WHERE the weapon was. Draco calmly sheathed his sword and nodded in approval. "Good. Now…" He took out a knife from his belt. "To make sure you don't remember this…and to ensure you won't tell anyone."

"Y-you said you wouldn't kill me…" Skulla whimpered.

"I'm not KILLING you." He informed her as he raised the knife to her crown and began to cut her head open. "I'm lobotomizing you…"

"AAA…AAAAAA!"

"There's QUITE a difference."

"HEARTWING, PLEAAAASE!" She sobbed as the blood oozed down from the top of her head.

Draco's eyes bore into her. "Heartwing is DEAD. He died because of monsters like YOU. Now it's your turn to know the pain you've dealt."

And he cut deeper…


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_IS insanity the price we often pay for power?_

_First of all, what do we define as "insane"? Certainly there are SOME standards. If a person dressed up in a loincloth in the middle of the day and sat atop a cloth, chanting Hindu songs, we'd probably say he needs to go to the loony bin, posthaste._

_But, if that person firmly believes he is GANDHI, then there is some degree of logic to this insanity._

_So, insanity is, in a sense, trying to justify a ridiculous, even HORRIFYING action through some twisted logic. In this regard…_

_Jack…was definitely going insane._

Jack calmly let out a looong breath of pink smoke as he tossed the Hypercortisone X inhaler to the side and smirked. "Ahhh, it's like breathing the electric air of the future." He remarked as Spectra, Spooky, Gavrilo, Esmeralda, Pele and Hiaka walked alongside him down the hallway of their new mansion. Mr. Jeffers wasn't going to…need it anymore. Nor would his wife. Both of them had been TRAGICALLY drowned in their own bathtubs. Or at least, that would be the story in the news tomorrow.

"Such a tragedy." Hiaka snickered, holding up her paw and forming a swirling orb of water. "Now what are we gonna do about their kids?" She asked.

"Yeah, those cheating twosome deserved it for their disloyalty, but what about the kids?" Esmeralda asked. "I don't hurt children anymore; I've thrown that part of me behind."

"Hmm. I'm not sure." Jack remarked as he kept walking down the hallway, heading towards the stairs. "I mean, I don't think anybody in town has DONE this before. We're picking off the scum and the phonies and the fakes one at a time. How far does one GET?"

"About as far as this." Snizzi remarked, smirking up at them as he leaned back against the wall, looking up at them all. "I know this'll hurt, but I gotta say it…you're _pathetic_. You really, really are."

"Oh?" Spectra inquired, her orb-like form bobbing in the air like a killer "Pac-Man" of some kind.

"You're trying to act superior when you're just confused about who you really are. I know what happens inside your heart when you find out you ain't the person you thought you were, but this is all just because you thought your parents were so amazing and wonderful and good to you that they could never do anything wrong, and when you found out you COULD, you started questioning everyone else's goodness."

Snizzi's red eyes became slits. "And you're wasting all this time doing pseudo-vigilante work to justify your need to lash out at everything you've ever known and reduce it to rubble. So why don't you just take a deep breath…do some hard thinking…and turn yourself in. You know Lilo will go easy on you."

"Well, well. Looks like you have a CONSCIENCE after all." Gavrilo remarked. "But isn't the POT calling the KETTLE black?"

"Hard thinking, huh?" Spectra inquired, eyes glowing. "Hmm, like that nagging feeling you keep having in the back of your head?"

"ERRR…" Snizzi's eyes widened and veins appeared on his body. He clenched his orange-gloved, three-digited hands and growled deeply, trying to steady himself as they calmly walked past him and down the stairs. "You've…sure…got some…balls, you…little…BITCH…"

"Yeah, I sure got YOURS, don't I, ya stupid prick!" Spectra sniggered. "That thought in your head's so huge you can't think PAST it, can ya?"

Snizzi's head snapped left and right as he stood in a dark abyss, with smirking demons and devils all around him, laughing and giggling evilly.

_"Like YOU could ever rule over us!"_

_"Insignificant little imp!"_

_"Pathetic fool!"_

_"You, become "The Emperor"? Don't make us laugh!"_

_"LEFTOVERS from that stupid human, that's all you are!"_

_"I don't think I've ever seen anything so utterly without worth…"_

"Worth…less…" Snizzi mumbled, falling to his knees, drool coming out of his mouth as his bladed tail dug deep into the floor.

Jack watched the others leave the mansion, their new HQ, and turned to Spectra. "Would you be a dear and get to dealing with the brats?"

"Absolutely." Spectra remarked calmly, floating back inside the house. She made her way to the playroom, which had been locked from the outside, and slid underneath through the cracks, appearing before two frightened black-haired children who clung to each other in utter fear.

"Hello kiddies, who wants to play with Auntie Spectra? I've got a game…"

Her eyes glowed. "It's called, "Don't Let Auntie Spectra Touch You Or You **DIE!**"

…

…

…

… King brushed his hair back. The Magician of the Major Arcana was looking out at the students in his classroom and he could see that Junior was visibly upset and nervous, rubbing a mood ring on his digit.

The past week had taken a toll on him…he had seen more and more deaths and had had to carry the departed's souls to the Other Side. He was coming VERY close to finding out who'd DONE the deeds…

King felt a sense of sorrow fill him as he looked at the child. Poor little thing. His mother and father kidnapped and he had to take the people who had been his dear family to the Other Side. His heart was breaking a little bit every day.

"Now…" He bit his lip, then went on, golden eyes gleaming. "Magic is incredibly important." He told the class, noticing Yuna was paying VERY close attention. "Furthermore, it can be found in all things. There are primary sources of magic that you have to know about for the final and once again, I'm going to drill them into your head."

He clapped his hands. "Aero!" He announced.

Instantly a whirling green twisted launched some chalk on a nearby table into the air. He leapt up and caught it in his three-digited, clawed hand and then expertly landed back down, turning around and writing away on the chalkboard in the lecture hall he was using for his class. All of the students had gone "Oooh" at his demonstration of skill.

"Elemental magic comes from the Earth and the Universe around us." King explained. "It consists of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Metal, Poison, Ice, Gravity and Time. There is a final element known as "Quintessence", "Aether" or "Dream"…it is the power of creation itself. It is Imagination…**Unlimited**…it is what the Soul is made out of." King went on dramatically.

He then took a breath and turned around, having drawn an alchemic circle. "Alchemy is a brand of magic that stems from two sources…the caster and the Universe. You're all aware of what alchemy is?" He inquired.

Lots of nods. Plenty of people had seen "Fullmetal Alchemist".

"Well, that leads into the next source of magic power…a person's form. A person is made up of four major parts in terms of magic. There is the "Mind"…our ability to reason and rationalize. It allows us to think. The "Body"…that is shell which we live within and which sustains us. The "Soul" is what connects us to the forces beyond, that which lies in Other Realms. It is our tether to God, and by transplanting a Soul into something, you create a vague copy of what a person was."

He looked through his class. "Who can tell me the ingredients for human transmutation?"

A hand raised in the air. King grinned. "Ah, yes, Yuna? Will you tell us the ingredients?" King inquired.

"35 liters of water, 20 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia and 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorous, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of saltpeter 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon and 15 other trace amounts of various other elements." Yuna explained in her distinct voice. "BUT for so-called Human Transmutation to be successful, you need one more thing…the most important thing of all! A special kind of data that comes from in HERE." She said, placing her hand on her chest.

King smiled. "The "Heart"." He agreed. "It allows us to FEEL, and it contains our memories and personality. It is our "Self". Without the "Heart", we are like golems or chimera. We live, but we are not truly alive or self-conscious. We are barely people at all. And if a being has neither soul nor heart, it is not a being at all, but a thing."

King grinned. "Alchemists have a spark within their mind that allows them to tap into the knowledge of the Universe and connect the dots to create…alchemic circles. They can construct and deconstruct objects around them using raw tools and their mind is perpetually turning out energy that's used for alchemic purposes. There are certain other sources of magic that must be mentioned…death magic, necromancy, and life magic, Bios. Now Bios is-"

"HAAAUUUUHHHH!"

Patch suddenly gasped in pain and fell out of her seat to the ground, groaning horridly. Yuna ran to her side and helped her up as King's eyes went wide. Outside, peering in from the window, Spectra's eyes narrowed.

"Patch, what's wrong?" Yuna asked, concerned.

"I…tried to tell dad…" Patch whispered as Yuna helped her stand up…and they saw the blood.

Saw the blood dripping from wounds that had suddenly appeared on her hands…wounds that had appeared from nowhere and generated a vaguely perfumed, almost holy scent.

"Something's wrong with my **body**…" Patch gasped out.

…

…

…

…Sari was having another dream. An awful dream of the past before Pleakley had brought her out of that horrid institution.

Tossing and turning in her bed, she pictured his face. Director Bartok, snarling as he picked her up. He had lost his patience with Sari because she had been too tired to try cracking more bank codes.

"WHY YOU LITTLE F-CKER!" He snarled, holding her above his head.

Pleakley's eye widened. "That's enough, Director." Pleakley demanded.

"I have had MORE than enough patience with this kid, WENDY." The director hissed, turning his head at Pleakley.

"Let her GO, right now." Pleakley demanded, his long fingers curling into fists.

Bartok turned back to Sari, who had eyes wider than dinner plates at the moment, and they were filled with fear. "I am putting in the reddest cell possible, you insolent little-"

"LET HER GO, YOU F-CKING NAZI!" Pleakley snarled.

Bartok stopped speaking. He slowly turned around to look at Pleakley. "...what the Hell did you call me?"

"I called you what you ARE. Let…her…GO." Pleakley demanded.

Now an amused SMILE crept up Bartok's face. "Do you honestly think your threats SCARE me, noodle man?" He laughed, turning back to Sari. "Now then…"

He tightened his grip on her collar, choking her slightly. "As I said…"

Pleakley had grabbed the chair. It had been somewhat of an effort to lift it over his head, but…his aim was true. With a CRACK and a THA-THUNK Bartok hit the ground, head busted wide open, BOTH eyes now eternally unseeing. Sari dropped to the ground and scurried away from the horrible red pool forming around him, gasping.

Gently, Pleakley picked her up and rocked her back and forth, singing softly to her. She clung desperately to his beautiful blue shirt and allowed herself to be lost in the more soothing part of the dream as the sweet angel sang her to her rest…

But then it turned wrong. Then she saw it. Fire…flames…people searching through the wreckage for their own body parts…screaming and pain and-

And then it ended…and she was alone, in her blue-painted room.

What had that dream meant, she wondered with fear. But all that came out was a low moan, and she shivered in horror, clutching herself tightly.

…

…

…

… "I didn't think I'd make it." Staccato said as he leapt down from the rooftops to the ground below, then walked over to the murder scene with Ace. "But Dimension 1414 has been awfully quiet. What do we have?"

"415 turned into a 187." Ace said stonily. "None of the people inside are alive."

Staccato's eyes, situated within his green face mask betrayed deep, deep sorrow. The rest of his body revealed no other emotion as he folded his arms, his gleaming armor shining in the light of the afternoon sun. "Pretty sick." He said as he activated his optic sensors to see through walls. "There's blood everywhere." He turned to Ace. "We've got to cordon off the area, first and foremost. I'll get to work on collecting the evidence inside."

Ace nodded and headed off with a walkie talkie while Staccato walked inside the house. Out of respect for the children, he did them first, examining the bodies. It was like somebody had thrust thick needles through their bodies…many…many times.

"God…" He whispered softly. "Have pity on their souls…"

Somebody sent out a communications bolt on his wrist/comp which was part of his right plasma buster. He held it to his mouth…this was a secure channel. Only a select few…the MA themselves…knew.

"Yes?"

"Justice, I've got news."

"The Chariot? Draco, you found out something?"

"Yes. I got a little bird to sing. Ace can't be trusted."

Staccato frowned deeply at this. Ace? Not trusted? He was a SUPERHERO. Had been so for YEARS. And a good friend. "…you're SURE of this?" He asked.

"Yes. I need you to keep a close eye on him while I track down another lead. Ace isn't SMART enough to build whatever he's building, he had to have had help. And there's somebody on Niihau who's been giving him that help."

"You don't suspect JUMBA, do you?" Staccato whispered.

"No, he's been examining data on Green. He's not a factor. Just keep an eye on Ace."

With that, the call ended. Staccato stood up, dusting himself off…then kneeled back down, looking at the children.

"I promise, I'll avenge you." He said to them. "You have my word."

…

…

…

…White carried Sari on his back as he made his way through the crowd to where the fuss was. Apparently a large Irken ship had landed and this was something White HAD to see.

Sari shivered at the sight of the two Irkens who approached her. Mostly, she was shivering at the red one. She didn't like red.

"Do you any gumdrops?" She asked the purple one as White stood next to Nick and Grey.

Purple looked this human over and then smiled, reaching into his pocket. "As a matter of fact, I DO." He said, holding up a small bag of gumdrops and giving them to her. She eagerly took them and began chewing happily while White placed her on the ground, ruffling her hair.

"How come she scowled at ME?" Red wanted to know.

"I'm sorry guys. She doesn't like the color red. It's not personal." White insisted. "So, what can I do you for you two?" White inquired. He was longtime associates of Red and Purple and had provided them with a LOT of money and equipment over the past fifty years. "If you wanted me to get you something, all you had to do was call and I'd bring it TO you."

"Actually, we have come looking for the one who possesses the Blessing of the Phoenix."

"You're looking in the wrong place, you want Snizzi and Vassago's home, Earth 1031." Nick told them, spreading his hands out. "White could take you there."

"No, we speak of a different sort of Phoenix." Purple spoke up. "The Phoenix's "Blessing" is a bestowment of immense power. As you know, Irkens who manifest any sort of ability usually gain elemental powers, though there have been noticeable exceptions…"

Red waved his claws in the air. "But that's not important right now. There's ONE power that the Hierophant foretold would bring immense danger to the Empire and the Galaxy…the power over fire. Pyrokinesis. The Phoenix would be born in flame and on a shaft of burning light, shall ascend into the stars to bring annihilation to all she wills!"

"Scary stuff!" Purple agreed.

Sari nervously held her hands over her mouth, trying to keep herself from saying what was on her mind. Her thoughts were racing all over the place but she knew, she KNEW who they meant. She had SEEN her…

"So Lady Miyuki has ordered us to eliminate whomever holds the blessing within them. We know that they are on this island!" Purple added. "…because we're from **space!**"

Kila and the "Almighty Smallest" himself were there as well, and Zim was happily jumping up and down. "My Tallest! My Tallest! Hey! My Tallest! Hey! Hey! Oh, my Tallest! My Tallest! Hey!"

"…hellooooo, ZIM." Red mumbled, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I LIVE here." Zim remarked.

"…ANOTHER reason to raze this place to the ground and turn it into a parking structure planet." Red muttered hatefully.

"Oh, I know you!" Green said, pointing at him as she stood behind her parents. "You're Red and Purple! Oh, my Dad had a HUGE crush on Miyuki."

Zim gaped. "How do you know THAT?" He asked. "I never told you about-"

"MIYUKI!" Kila snapped, placing her paws on her hips and looking right at Zim's maroon eyes. "Zim, c'mon! She's way out of your league."

"You DID talk about it. You were kissing a pillow in your sleep and mumbling while taking a nap on the couch. That was the same day GIR ate me and my powers manifested."

"But you weren't even FOUR!" Zim gasped. "You can't…remember…"

Red and Purple's eyes widened. "Enlightened intelligence on THAT scale?" Red asked. "Has she also been emitting solar radiation?"

"Yeah." Kila admitted.

"Then we'll kill THAT one." Purple said, pointing at Green.

"You can't just KILL her!" Zim said, protesting.

"That girl is a host to a living force of Fire, Darkness and Light!" Red said solemnly.

"I've been that too!" Nick said, shrugging.

"Me too." Lilo admitted.

"Then our decree by Lady Miyuki gives us the right to dispose of you ALL." Purple spoke up. "And it's gonna get messy, too." He added. "So I probably should have brought my armor that doesn't rust when blood gets sprayed on it, but noooo, I had to make a good first IMPRESSION…"

"And how exactly do you plan to "dispose" of any of us? We OUTNUMBER you." White laughed.

"We've got a secret weapon." Purple added. He whistled with two claws and a teleporter beam shot out from the ship, beaming several guards down. They held up a very large dowel with funny Irken lettering written all over it.

Needless to say, nobody was impressed.

"…that's IT? That's a bloody STICK." Alex remarked stonily.

"Not just ANY stick! Just look at the SIZE of it." Red defended.

**SFX: Crickets Chirping**

"…it's from SPACE!" Purple added.

"It's BLUE." Sari remarked, eyes widening. "I like blue." She added.

"…you're…_interesting_…" Red remarked.

"Will somebody do something about my daughter? SHE'S BLEEDING FROM HER HANDS!" Heala shouted, holding Patch in her arms.

"You Irkens are just have to wait your turn!" Nick yelled. "We're already DEALING with a crisis here! A charismatic schizophrenic with immense delusions of grandeur has recruited a death squad and is rubbing us out left and right!"

"And I can explain about Patch." King said, stepping forward, patting her on the head. "She's got _Zoe_ in her…advanced life magic. She's a WONDER."

Dr. PL gasped. "My baby girl's magical?" He realized out loud.

"_ZOE._ That IS impressive." Red admitted. "But we really do need to deal with…" He turned back to Zim, Kila and Green only to find they were gone. "What the? Where'd they go?"

…

…

…

…Green held the side of her head, groaning. "So…so many thoughts…" She whispered. "Too many…too much…seeing…SEEING…"

Kila held her daughter's back as Zim crouched down and looked Green in the eyes. They'd run down the beach and were now two miles away. "What's wrong?" Zim asked. "Have you brain worms?"

"No…I…I can FEEL it…" She said. "Feel…the light…so much…and…" She looked up. "I'm not even born yet…and now I am…I'm in the womb, I…I can feel and see EVERYTHING…"

Her eyes went wider. "Oh WOW…the world looks so…beautiful from far away…Daddy, what if…what if the problem wasn't in humans? What if…the enemy was…INSIDE? What if it's always been inside us?"

And with that she suddenly screamed and Kila and Zim were thrown back.

The crowd of people who had gathered at Red and Purple's ship gasped as they turned around to see Green rising up from where she'd been and into the air, being circled by shafts of fire. Her eyes were wide open and white, like burning stars, and her claws twitched as she floated towards Red and Purple. Purple grabbed the Exorcism stick and readied himself as Red lifted himself off the ground with his power and folded his arms, looking at her. "Am I speaking to the Phoenix?" He asked.

"And if you are?" Phoenix/Green asked. "Neat, huh? My body and plasma contain a high hydrogen content, and I've surrounded myself with an exuded cloud of mono-atomic hydrogen atoms! This hot cloud provides sufficient positive buoyancy for me to float!" She told them all. Furthermore, with my power I can form a jet and achieve supersonic speeds of up to at least 300 miles per hour!" She bragged.

"By d-decree of the Irken Empire, we have b-been task-ed to destroy the vessel for the Phoenix entity, cleansing the Galaxy so that we m-m-may all be spar-ed the fires of d-d-d-destruction." Purple stuttered.

"Obviously I scare your dim-witted companion…do I scare YOU?" The Phoenix asked Red.

Red frowned. "No."

"I don't like this." Sari said. "She's SCARY."

Then Green/Phoenix did something disgusting. She calmly reached up to her face with her pointer claw and peeled away some flesh…revealing a burning light beneath. They all watched in horror and perverse fascination as she began to peel skin off like she was wearing a mask, and she tossed the skin away, making it dissolve with a burst of flame…revealing her head had become a brightly shining star.

Red began to nervously shiver, sweat appearing on his brow.

"How about now?" Phoenix/Green inquired.

"NO." He insisted, lying as best he could.

"I suppose I shall have to try harder." She remarked, shrugging. She began stripping the REST of her skin right in front of them as quickly as possible, making it dissolve away. What was underneath was a blazing figure…she was a living STAR…she had been a SUN hiding behind a guise of flesh and only the vague outline of what she had once been could be seen, a tiny attempt to give Green any semblance of a physical form.

Red hovered down, clinging to Purple. "HOW?" He whispered. "Only one with Irken blood can have this occur…"

"Well Kila's part Irken, isn't she?" Grey wondered.

"But you'd still need to be more than PART Irken!" Purple said, giving him a look like he was dumb. "At LEAST ¼ of your-"

"Green happens to be one third Human, one third Experiment and one third Irken." White spoke up. "THAT would give her enough Irken blood…"

Everyone looked at White.

"…how…do you know that?" Kila whispered, stepping through the crowd with Zim by her side.

"I'm getting bored." Phoenix/Green announced, raising up claws. "And hungry. I think reducing the entire island to ashes and consuming everyone here will sustain me for quite a while…but I'll begin with YOUR empire first." She said, pointing at Red and Purple, her body glowing more brightly. "You may consider it fair play for attempting to kill me and-"

White tapped the side of his head, grinning. "Have time, will travel." He said. "Hey Grey, you were wondering about how Green IS the way she IS…well…" He spread out his arms. "She's got your TWO daddies." He laughed.

Green/Phoenix stiffened. She slowly began to hover down, the burning, star-like appearance melting away to become what she had been before her transformation, her brown hair willowing around her. "Two…dads?"

"Skoodge DID mess up the process." White laughed, turning to Zim and Kila. "He used Grey's blood the first time and the egg was fertilized. But then when he fully examined the egg and realized his mistake, he also injected the egg with ZIM'S blood to try and make it right. She's a mix of you, Zim AND Grey!" He told Kila. "Zim's genes might be recessive when compared to yours and Grey's, but she IS his child…"

He turned to Grey. "And YOURS too." He added, poking him in the chest.

Green/Phoenix's eyes widened. This was an emotional blow that was VERY heavy. The Phoenix Blessing found itself being buried deep down amidst the churning, frothing wave of one of the most powerful things on the planet…a young girl's emotions.

Her eyes returned to normal and she blinked at Grey. "You're…my other dad? Honestly?"

"…yeah, I guess I am." He said. He turned to Kila. "Kila…there's…"

"I can't talk about it right now." Kila said quickly, leading Green and Zim away. Grey stood there, blinking…then sighed.

"…I guess I should have seen this coming."

"Fine, that girl can stay on this rock ball." Red remarked. "But if she attempts to leave the planet…by the authority vested in us, we grant Darth, the Hierophant, the right and duty to ensure the Empire prevails." Red said, handing the Hierophant the dowel.

Darth nodded, getting up from the knee he'd been kneeling on. "As you will it." He spoke solemnly. "As you will it."

One by one the others left. Nick and Lilo stayed with him, along with White and Sari.

"That Phoenix entity sure knows how to make an entrance." White laughed. "Seeing as she's living energy as well, perhaps I should ask her on a date. I think we'd hit it off quite well."

With that, he took Sari back up in his arms and voomed off. Lilo looked down at the Darth, the Hierophant. "Okay Darth, if you actually hurt her…"

"I'LL deal with you." Grey spoke up. He had remained as well and he clenched his clawed fist.

"You'll have to "deal" with her eventually." Darth remarked. "She is not controlling the entity, she is SUBDUING it. Right now she's excited at the prospect of having you as a "dad", and she's confused as to what this new power will do for her. But the Phoenix entity can feed off of negative emotions like sorrow and rage. If she feels a deep enough sorrow in her…the Phoenix will manifest again and the "dealing" must be done." He added coldly, slamming the stick into his gloved hands.

"Why would she feel any deep sorrow?" Lilo asked.

…

…

…

…Why indeed.

Green was fast asleep in her room as Zim and Kila stood in the laboratory. Skoodge and Tenn were looking over the prisoners, trying to hide their nervous eyes. They didn't' need to worry though, right now Zim and Kila tried to get a foothold on the situation they were in.

"You know what HE wanted us to do." Zim spoke quietly. "We can't go through with those plans for Star Command if Green comes with us, which is what was supposed to happen. She was supposed to get more deeply involved and then-"

"This ruins the plan, I know. Or rather it…" Kila choked back a sob. "It moves the timetable up…"

Zim's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"We have to do it more quickly than planned." Kila said quietly, sitting in a chair, holding her head in her hands. "We were going to break her heart anyway…might as well do it sooner rather than later…"

"He'll come after us if we try to-"

"That's why we'll use the other option…and we'll keep running."

Zim was quiet. Eerily so. Then he spoke up again, in a soft voice. "I didn't think we'd have to say goodbye this soon. I thought we'd at least have another half a year."

"I know…me too."

"But she's got all that power and she needs mentor figures to help her use it right." Zim said as he approached the computer and turned on the monitor, looking over a folder marked "Photos". It showed him and Kila with their newborn daughter. "…good parents wouldn't abandon their children in a time like this…"

"That's why we have to do it." Kila mumbled. "But no matter the reasoning, I'm going to feel like crap either way." She bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. "AME KEF, this isn't right. Green never had the chance. We were supposed to be good parents one day, Zim."

"Yeah."

"We were supposed to win the Nobel Prize. We were going to have everyone cheer for us. We were going to be special."

"We were, for a little while."

"We were supposed to be a happy family."

"We were that too, for a little while."

"…do you think…maybe…if I had told Grey about this whole thing back in the convenience store…this never would have had to have happened? That he could have stopped this?"

"We'll never know." Zim mumbled as he and Kila embraced and Kila sobbed into her husband's shoulders. "Skoodge…you know what to do." He whispered quietly.

Skoodge nodded sadly as Zim led Kila out of the laboratory, patting her on the back. They had to go find a certain mutt and bring him to their home…

ELSEWHERE…

Patch was in Jumba Jookiba's lab on Niihau as Pleakley, King, Sari and Vassago stood to the side. Patch had a small thermometer in her mouth and was churning it around in her mouth nervously as Jumba looked her eyes over. "…yes, I can see it in her pupils." He said. "Is like star growing."

He stepped back and nodded at the others. "Is definitely _zoe_."

"Whuh's "Dzo-ay"?" Sari asked, confused as she rocked back and forth, back and forth in the chair, a big smile on her face.  
"_Zoe_ is the force of life and light, the magic of those that hold the Light in the highest esteem. _Void_ is the force of death and night, whose Darkness seeks to remove all Light, and all its shining gleam." King explained.  
"Angels use the power of _Zoe_ quite often." Vassago added. "One power is of creation that seeks to preserve, and the other that of destruction, which will only bring ruin."

"…da Void, right?" Sari wanted to know.

"Yes, Void." Vassago agreed.

"Your hair is red but your eyes are neon green." Sari spoke up. "Neon, "new one", that's a kind of noble gas the Big Bang blew out of it's-"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Jumba said, covering her mouth. She promptly bit him. "OW!" He yelled, reeling back, making Vassago chuckle as Sari spat out some blood.

"Ew. It's purple." She remarked.

"Uh, moving along…" Jumba remarked, putting a band aid on his hand. "Essentially the force of _Zoe_ allows for healing beyond that of simply patching up wounds. It can do something the element of "Light" cannot…"

"Element?" Sari spoke up. "I know that!" She then began to sing.

_**"There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium, and hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium, and nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium, and iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium, europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium and lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium and gold and protactinium and indium and gallium and iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium, there's yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium and boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium and strontium and silicon and silver and samarium and bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium and barium!" **_

"…MAGICAL elements…" Jumba remarked. "Hmm. You ARE a bright girl." He added, rubbing his chin. "Now Patch…I'm going to test something about with you…JUST to be sure."

He reached into a nearby cupboard and took out a small capsule that had a dead mouse in it. The little thing was bloated and had obviously drowned. "Don't go starting on what I was using mouse for, in ten seconds will possibly not matter." He handed Patch the jar. "I want you to be working wonder on it."

Patch blinked. "You mean try to heal it even though it's DEAD?" She asked. "…well…okay…" She mumbled, focusing.

A beautiful pale light began to shimmer from the mouse…and suddenly it's bloating vanished, and a light entered its eyes. It jumped up, now VERY much alive and squeaking as it ran around the jar.

"Is official, you are now capable of resurrection." Jumba laughed happily. "This is simply miraculous! Do you have any idea how RARE the gift of _Zoe_ is?"

A gun cocked in the laboratory and Jumba pitched forward, hitting the ground. Sari screamed in horror as somebody stepped out of the shadows, holding a gun up. Pleakley's single eye widened.

"…Bartok…" he whispered.

"Correct." Director Bartok hissed, a metal cap now attached to the back of his head, harsh, cold and ugly just like his very soul.

"You leave the girl out of this, Bartok." Pleakley demanded. "She has NOTHING to do with you anymore!" He insisted, standing in front of Sari and spreading his arms out.

"Oh, I'm not here for HER. I'm FINISHED with her. I'm here…for YOU." He snarled, rushing forward. Before Pleakley could stop him Bartok had grabbed his right hand and Vassago had grabbed the other. Patch gasped as Vassago held Pleakley's hands behind the cycloptic alien and Bartok delivered a quick blow to the back of Pleakley's head, knocking him out and dragging him away.

"You…you…" She whimpered as King clutched her tightly to his chest, keeping her from the demon. "I…I HATE you…" She hissed.

Vassago looked at her with a sad glint in his eyes, then faded into the darkness after Bartok.

King looked down at Jumba's body. "Patch…I know you just used your power…but I need you to do it again. Do you think you can?" He asked.

Patch knelt by Jumba, jumping out of King's grasp and placing her paws on him. "I can TRY!" She growled, a white light surrounding Jumba's all-too-still body…

Which twitched.


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_It has been said that the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind._

Revelation. Divine realization. We understand that which we didn't understand before because we're able to see through new eyes.

But sometimes this revelation doesn't come from some miraculous wonder that's presented to us from out of nowhere. Sometimes it appears in terrible tragedy, or in banal occurrences.

But it definitely happens in our life all the same. Realizations that we know where we belong…that we know what we are…

Spectra smiled cruelly, a glint of darkness in her eyes. She had formed into something more…suitable for this next trick.

Jack and the others had been listed as "Missing" by the police and were implicated in the murders of at least 30 people so far. The police said "implicated" so as to not spook the public TOO badly. Spectra found it a thrill.

Her power to transform herself, her shapeshifting ability allowed her to become her victim's worst nightmares, and this was based on a low-level telepathy that her father had: he read his victim's minds and transformed into their worst fear. With Hypercortisone X flowing through her system, her telepathy was boosted significantly…now she could get inside her victim's heads and boost their levels of terror.

She calmly approached the young, blond girl, a preteen who was trapped in the corner of her and her brother's room. Her brown-haired, blue eyed brother was struggling, his stringy hair flailing back and forth as he tried to tug free of the ropes he'd been bound in. Spectra had taken a form similar to Angel, only with icy blue eyes, sharp claws, razor-tipped antennae and a flowing tail. She calmly placed one clawed hand against the girl's chest, smiled sweetly, then **pushed it clear through the girl and out her back**…phasing.

"Shhhhh." She shushed as the girl began to gasp quickly, blood pooling out of her mouth. "You're having a heart attack, baby. Shhhhhhhh…shhhhhhhhh…" She cooed.

The girl finally screamed horridly and the brother could take it no more. He leapt up and, still carrying the chair on his back, rushed towards Spectra…

Who BACKHANDED him across the face while also phasing her hand through his jaw, breaking it, his cheek and all his teeth. He fell to the ground, blood oozing out of his own mouth as he watched Spectra remove her hand and let his sister's body fall to the ground. Smiling calmly, Spectra turned to Esmeralda. "Go ahead and finish up while I go find Jack." She told Ezzie, laughing and heading out the door.

Esmeralda approached the human boy, rubbing his hair with her black claws retracting so as to not hurt him. Her beautifully alluring yellow eyes peered down at him. "You were very brave, trying to defend your sister." She spoke softly. "I don't usually like humans, but you can be very brave."

She caressed his cheek and continued to speak in a warm, loving tone. "I admire spirited people. What you did counts. You know…when I was younger…I experimented on myself. I made myself as a vampire. But I'm not a vampire anymore. What I **CAN** do…is this…"

She extended her pointer finger's claw carefully and placed it on his cheek. "Did you know that lust actually has a TASTE? It's sweet…like candy…like good liquorices. Not the red kind, the classic BLACK…you might notice my claws smell just like them…"

She smiled and gently stroked his cheek with the claw. "People's bodies, human or otherwise, can produce secretions that have yet to be fully identified. Pain…dementia…AROUSAL…all of that can be chemically induced. Like…THIS…"

She carefully jabbed her claw into his cheek and some blood was drawn. The kid moaned with some pain, but then…a calm, happy feeling began to rise in him.

"My claws secret pheromones that can allow me to elicit whatever reaction I want…I bet you weren't expecting me to perform any sort of act of mercy, were you? I mean…I look like a succubus." She commented. "But this…this IS mercy. Try and relax, okay." She cooed to him, tracing a circle on his cheek as a beautiful bliss swelled up in the boy, taking him beyond his pain for all eternity.

ELSEWHERE…

Pleakley was in pain too. His head ached furiously. But nobody was going to give him any aid in a sexy package, so he simply frowned angrily at Director Bartok as the metal-capped human stood alongside of Jack and the others. He had been tied to a chair inside of a large office with a big red carpet and no windows whatsoever. There was a bookcase to the right that was devoid of a single tome and a single double doorway behind those that now stood before him. He glared over at Jack and asked a simple question. "You KNOW what he's done, why are you helping him? Isn't he a bad guy? The kind you HATE? One who pretends to be an upright citizen but is just-"

Jack slapped him across the face and Pleakley gasped in pain as Jack frowned at him. "I'm fully AWARE of the good doctor's indiscretions." He said. "But at the moment I, along with Ace, need his talents."

"Indeed." Ace spoke up, stepping out from the shadows to the left. "Also, I know perfectly well that the Hierophant's men are on their way here. Spectra and I are going to meet them." He smirked. "Their reactions to what I have planned will be verrry interesting."

"And what DO you have planned?" Pleakley asked. "Something awful, I bet…" He added, single eye narrowing.

"I guess you're not as stupid as you look." Pele laughed.

"Though you look pretty stupid!" Hiaka added.

"Yeah, well…your outfits are AWFUL." Pleakley snapped back. "Beautiful girls, ugly shirts, you're both fashion red alerts!" He rhymed.

That got him another smack, this time from Spectra. "Enough disrespecting of my "girlfriends". Now listen up, WENDY." She snapped. "You and the doctor are gonna stay here and…work out your "issues". Jack and the rest of us have other business. And don't worry Jack…Ace and I know what to do." She finished.

Ace and Spectra walked out first, then Jack, Pele and Hiaka. Only Bartok and Pleakley remained. Pleakley quivered with fear as Bartok calmly locked the doors, then walked to the empty bookcase, pushing it aside to reveal a hidden compartment…

Out from which he pulled a sword.

"Oh, this will be **fun**." He announced. "Did I ever tell you I used to be on the Dueling circuit many years ago?" He remarked calmly.

"No…" Pleakley gulped.

"Must have SLIPPED MY MIND." He laughed, holding the sword up and making it catch the light.

SWISH…

Something sliced through Pleakley's bonds and he gasped as Draco Heartwing, the Chariot, stood there…with Junior by his side. "JUNIOR?" Pleakley gasped.

"I FINALLY figured out how to make this scythe work right!" He laughed, holding up his father's scythe. "As Death I can travel through any spiritual and physical realm if I sense holes in reality that are weak enough. There was one right outside this house…it was easy for me to move from the Other Side to here!"

"Oh, three against one?" Bartok laughed. "Fine. I don't mind those odds."

"Oh, we're not fighting you." Draco spoke calmly. "Here…"

Draco handed Pleakley a "flambert" sharp sword rapier and nodded firmly. "This is YOUR fight." He told Pleakley as Pleakley lifted it up to examine the ornate, almost helix-shaped hilt. "It's time you lived up to your name, "Brave Warrior". Jack and Esmeralda have left. Pele and Hiaka are just outside and were ready to come in if something went wrong…"

Draco held up his own sword. "They're OURS." He said coldly.

Pleakley turned around and faced Bartok, holding up the rapier. "En garde, then!" He shouted, rushing forward and slashing down at Bartok, who raised his own sword.

"Ho-HO! The stripling bares it's fangs and imitates the tiger!" Bartok sneered. "Stupid cyclops, you've no chance at all!"

…

…

…

…Page was being haunted by nightmares, just like Chopsuey, Carmen, Rupert and Ariel. Ariel was being forced to relieve the abuse, the ravaging that had made her mute, that Skoodge and Tenn knew of. The evil of Samael was common knowledge…

But what was sweet Page frightened by, they wondered?

Well…

**THE PAST**

It was dark. That he knew.

Where was he? Was there no light? How was he supposed to see?

Wait…how did he even know what "light and dark" were? Everything was so…odd…he couldn't feel, yet he was aware he couldn't feel…wait…he was aware he was a he! That was something…

What else did he know?

He existed…he was somewhere dark…he was a male…and he was scared. He didn't like being alone.

Could…could he express this somehow? Could he speak?

He tried to, but all he could do was think the words he wished to say. "Someone…help me…I'm scared…someone…please…"

And then…light…the most beautiful feeling of all.

And he was. A furry form of beauty and purity. Fur as smooth as silk, soft digits on his hand/paws, a delicate mammalian face, a flowing tail…

"Hello there. You are designated experiment 620." A voice told him.

Experiment 620 blinked his eyes. "E-experiment?" He asked. He looked around. Who had?

Oh…he was…in a tube of some kind. One which was quickly removed. He turned around to face the voice that had spoken. It was a strange, fat creature with four eyes. He was…was wearing something, a coat of some kind...he had an aura of great intelligence around him.

"Who…are you?" The experiment asked. And it was then that he noticed his voice. It was so clear, so ringing and beautiful…

"I am Dr. Jumba Jookiba. An important scientist and evil genius, heh-heh-heh."

"Genius scientist?"

"Yes, yes."

"And…you created me?"

"Yes, yes, you learn quickly."

"What…is my purpose?" Experiment 620 asked.

Jumba rubbed his hands together. "You are special. You can possess others, my dear experiment 620. You can take over the body of any living being and make them do as you wish thanks to spectral energy you possess. And…"

He walked over to 620 and lifted him up slightly. "You can fly."

620 suddenly realized…he…he had WINGS.

"May…may I see what I look like, my creator?" 620 asked.

Jumba nodded, walked to a nearby closet. He reemerged with a mirror and held it up. As 620 looked into it, his hands found his face, gasping in amazement.

Those eyes…the surface of a gentle pond gazed out at him, and he was so CUTE…and…WINGS…those wings…

He…

He looked like an angel.

"You are wondering how you know what you look like? Is part of your engrained knowledge that Jumba put within you. I have given you basic knowledge skills much like my other experiments, but I have increased your general religious capacity, and adjusted your body to fit to it. Your appearance will help to…shall we say, "dazzle" those that will be your foes. Now then, if you are not minding, I would like to be testing your ability out."

Oh yes, oh yes! Page thought. He felt so giddy, so happy. His creator walked over to a table and brought something back…a small creature, a mouse of some kind with blue skin.

"Caught one crawling around, snacking on Jumba's special stash. Go ahead. Possess him."

620 knew, hew KNEW what to do. Focus and picture yourself going inside the mouse's mind…

And then he vanished, becoming a wispy form of grey light that entered the mouse. It was frightened out of its tiny little mind, but it easily gave in with only a mere thought. Then, suddenly, the mouse began flipping in Jumba's hands, doing a tapdance. He then leapt off Jumba's hands and onto the table.

"Ha-ha-ha! Good work, 620! Spectral energy is energy of ectoplasm's residue given gassy form. This "ghost power" you have will be perfect for your missions!"

620 suddenly wisped out of the mouse, which fell to the table, blinking. 620 rematerialized on the table and hopped off, floating down gently on his beautiful wings. "What is your mission?"

"Being an evil genius, I belong to high-end organization. Evil Genius Organization, EGO, is good for Jumba's ego and they have great bake sales. I have recently been approached by the Grand Scion and asked to do a personal favor. Is perfect opportunity for me to get on his good side. Perhaps one day, I could even become Grand Scion myself!"

"And what is this favor, my creator?"

"There is a planet called Sudoxe."

"Soo-doh-ze?"

"Sudoxe. The planet is small but powerful, and the government is run by priests, so is theocracy. I wish for you to eliminating the government's leader by possessing him and getting him to commit suicide. Grand Scion wishes to invade the planet with his private fleet and take its resources. If their top leader is gone, system is collapsing from within. Leader is charismatic and devoted, his death will be very crippling."

620 nodded and bowed. "Consider it done. How shall I depart?"

"I shall have experiment 614 escort you to the planet. Be sure not to annoy him. He is a rough and tough shooter and designed to be an expert with every possible kind of gun or projectile-shooting weapon." Jumba said, brushing his three single hairs back.

620 was led to 614's room. Upon knocking on the door, a loud "HOLD ON" erupted in a distinctly rough accent came from the room. 620 gulped and stepped back as the door swished open.

There was a brown/grayish creature that resembled an Earth's kangaroo with an almost canine-like face. He had spiky hair that jutted out in front and was wearing a teal cloak and dark boots. He clenched and unclenched his clawed hands and looked 620 over.

"Who the heck are you?" 614 asked.

"I'm Experiment 620." He said. "Jumba told me that-"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot. Hold on, hold on…" 614 walked into his room and pulled out a small book from his drawers. "Here we go. The coordinates. Come on, let's get a move on…"

Soon 620 was being led into the double cockpit of a slick, powerful-looking spaceship. The seats were cushiony red and there was an extra pair of controls in the back.

"In the unlikely event that I get conked out, ya gotta take over the controls." 614 said.

"Er…wh-what?"

"Ya heard me."

"B-but I don't know how to fly!" 620 protested.

614 grinned evilly. "Well then, I guess you'll just have to learn quickly, won't you? Now hold on, new meat!"

"Hold on I haven't put my SEATBEEEEELT OONNNNNNN!"

Too late! The ship roared out of the loading bay and into deep space…and they were off to the planet Sudoxe.

…

…

…on the trip, 614 had taken upon himself to let 620 know a few things.

1. He didn't like him, he looked kind of "fruity".  
2. He didn't WANT to take him to this planet, he'd been ORDERED to, so don't expect any favors.  
3. No, he wasn't going to turn off the music.

"You snag the mag and blow away! Pin-eyed god…"

"Uh…614? Wh-why did Jumba ask me to-"

614 shut the music off with a flick of a pointed fingernail and stopped the spaceship instantly. He then jabbed that pointed fingernail he'd just used into his fellow experiment's soft stomach, making 620 wince.

"Listen up, GREENHORN. You're new. You have to be tested. Jumba makes every single one of his experiments undergo a preliminary test ta make sure ya got the right stuff. Now if y'all don't get this done RIGHT, you're going to be dehydrated and turned into a little blue ball for the rest of yer miserable life, so if I were you…"

He leaned in very, very close. His breath reeked of smelly cigarettes. "I'd get this mission done right. Got it?"

620 gulped and nodded as 614 bared his teeth threateningly. "Go-got it…uh, sir…"

"That's better. I've got seniority. Most of the greens take a while before they call me "sir", glad to see you have manners. That puts you up a notch in my book." 614 said, nodding.

620 beamed. "Really?"

"Which puts you at notch one."

620 groaned inwardly, but just nodded. "Understood, sir. I'm ready for action."

"Now THAT'S the spirit! We're about ten minutes away, so hold on…"

TEN MINUTES LATER…

The planet was remarkably lush, filled with beautiful, green plants that surrounded them on all sides. There were many ferns and bushes, and the sky was a pretty light blue color, with pinkish clouds. The ground was a brownish/green color, and everywhere there were flowers, flowers, flowers. They'd landed right in the middle of a clearing in a forest about a few miles away from the city where the target lived. 614 allowed 620 to climb out, then nodded.

"Here," He said, tossing 620 something small and black. "Put it in your ear, it's a communicator."

It was a little black dot. 620 nodded and put it into his ear.

"620, are you reading me?"

It was Jumba's voice.

"Loud and clear!" 620 responded.

"Not so loud, not so loud. This communicator revolves around projecting out your mental brainwaves back to my laboratory for analysis and translation into verbal exchanges."

"Um…you mean, I think it, you hear it back at the lab, right?"

"Exactly. For when you need to be EXTRA stealthy. Also, is design-ed to be compatible with your body's DNA upon attachment. Now it will also turn into light energy when you make transformations. Now go into city and find the "Sude Temple". Has own street, impossible to miss. 614 must leave now, but he shall return when you acknowledge completion of your mission. I am turning communications off for now, turn them on by mental willpower."

"Understood, my creator." 620 thought, and with that he bounded off through the forest, heading straight for the city.

614 crossed his arms and put a toothpick into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue. "There goes one brave kid. I kinda think I want him to live…"

The cities were filled with gigantic plaster, stone or wooden buildings. There wasn't any metal at all, except for the occasional metal plates upon the walls or above the doors of the buildings that read the title of the place. The street-signs were made of wood, hand-carved to resemble trees, and most interesting of all, the people, oh the people! Humanoid in appearance, resembling a species 620 would come to know as humans, only they…well, they had no nose or ears. None whatsoever! And they had four digits upon each hand instead of five. The skin colors were slightly odd as well, most were pinkish or brown or tanned yellow, but some were red, blue, even green!

Watching from the forest, 620 had to pick a body to use to move around. Choosing one, a little boy of dark brown skin with yellow hair and a light purple t-shirt, he quickly reached out and pulled him into the bushes with him. The kid was surprised, shocked.

"H-hey, what are you-?" He began. But then he saw 620's eyes and stopped. They looked so mesmerizing…and in that moment, he was lost. 620 took over his body and then made his way into the city, looking all around in interest with his stolen eyes.

The buildings, especially those made of stone and plaster, had the most incredible paintjobs upon them. Dazzling blues and reds and golds that melded together. It really was a very pretty city. It made 620 feel genuine regret that the planet would be taken over and probably strip-mined. He hoped that they would just give up so they wouldn't have to suffer.

Then he saw it. The largest building on the biggest road. It was circular with a domed top and a tower on top of the dome that had a bell at the top of it made of solid gold, from what it appeared. The dome was painted sky blue with beautiful stars of silver and gold, and there were statues carved right into the top area of the building, going all around, depicting scenes that seemed…very, very dramatic.

620 noticed one in particular catching his attention. It was of a person on top of a mountain, holding two gigantic tablets of some kind in each hand, with lightning splitting the air around him…yet though chaos raged around this person, his face reflected an emotion that suggested you could trust him…he knew what he was doing.

"Hmm. This is definitely the place." 620 said, and his stolen body moved into the building. Inside the building it was a huge, HUGE cathedral-like place, with a grand hall leading to at least a hundred pews in front. Most of them were filled up with people praying or speaking with each other. There was a priest at the front, 620 knew he was a priest because the boy, as it were, was part of the choir for this Grand Church…a lucky break for 620.

"Ahh, dear Ezra, is that you?" A voice to the right remarked. 620/Ezra turned and saw another priest approaching, a blue-skinned man apparently named "Pastor Roe", who went on. "Good news, Ezra! Prophet Clive agreed to do the interview for your school project! He said he'd be happy to answer any of your questions. I know you were worried that he'd be too busy with thinking up a sermon for today, but isn't this great news?"

Ah-ha! A quick check through Ezra's mind told 620 that yes, Ezra had asked the head of this planet's religious order for an interview for school on one sunny afternoon. This was very, very good.

"I'm very happy to hear that!" 620/Ezra responded honestly. "Where is he?"

"He's right in the back. Just remember, be honest above all else! Now I've got to practice my chants…"

Father Roe walked off, and therefore missed 620's slightly Satanic grin as he headed for the back of the building, to go see Prophet Clive. Moving past an organ, an altar, many praying and talking people, and several priests, he found a hallway and followed it to the end, where a door lay. He could hear someone humming a song inside. He knocked on the door.

"Mr. Clive sir?" He asked.

"Ezra, is that you? I'll unlock the door in a moment, I seem to have accidentally ripped my robe…"

620 took this opportunity to remove himself from Ezra, floating out of the boy's body through his mouth and ears. Ezra teetered and tottered around, groaning and rubbing his head, only to have 620 grab his neck from behind.

"Time for you to sleep now, child." He said quietly, and knocked the boy out with a good blow to the back of the head.

"Come on in, come on in!" Prophet Clive called out.

620 grinned again, and pushed the door open, shutting it behind him quickly and locking it was Clive turned around from behind the desk he was at. He wore simple brown robes tied together with light golden rope and had a golden headband on his head, as well as having pure white skin and light purple eyes.

"Now how can I-wait, you're not, are you a-"

He never got to finish that sentence, for he had looked into 620's eyes and doomed himself. 620 leapt at him, dissolving into spectral energy that filled him in a few moments. 620 then stood up and flexed his stolen body's fingers.

"That was easy." He remarked. "Now then, to end your life."

"W-what?" Clive's persona shouted from within. He was remarkably strong-willed. "Why?"

"My creator ordered me to kill you." 620 explained. "You're a threat to his organization. Your planet will be used for the organizations' benefit once you are dead and gone." He rubbed his…or rather, Clive's chin. "Hmm, now how to kill you? Jumping out the window? No, I'd rather not risk being seen and that method might attract attention. Maybe a knife? But I don't want to be stuck inside you as you are suffering. I know! Perhaps hanging? Yes, that works well…"

He then stood on top of a chair before he removed the cord from around his waist, tying it around his stolen neck and then throwing it over a rafter above his head. He then tied it again, around the rafter, reaching up, up…

"No, please, have mercy…" Clive begged inside of his mind, his spectral, mental form on his knees before the large figure of 620 who looked down at him, shaking his head.

"As in let you go? I can't do that. I must follow my creator's will."

"Your true creator wouldn't want you to do that."

620 blinked the eyes that were not his own for a full minute, and then narrowed them. "Elaborate." His mental form said, crossing his arms.

"There are higher standards we must all live to, and murdering is against that high standard."

"Higher standard? Oh yes, your **religion**…"

"You need not harm people in order to make something of yourself." Clive said. "My father was a soldier, and his father was one as well, as was his! But I experienced the touch of God, and led the people of my world out of a dark time."

"…your city is very beautiful."

"You think so? Oh, we worked very hard on it…"

"…I can't just let you go. You know too much about me. You've seen my face. I have to kill you or my creator will be most displeased."

"Please, at least…at least hear me out." Clive begged, getting now on his hands as well.

620 sighed and brushed back the hair that didn't belong to him. "Speak, then." His spectral form told Clive's.

"Let me give my sermon. It's in ten minutes…please? I beg of you…please let me speak to my people."

"You would just use it as a way to give me away!" 620 growled, getting up in Clive's face, eyes glaring deeply.

"No, I swear, I would not. I only wish to spread the good word and give hope and joy to my people through His words."

"Your god's? Hmm…" 620 thought this over. "How long will your sermon last?"

"Not more than 45 minutes. Please…"

Page laughed coldly. "No, little one, I am no angel of mercy…"

His spectral form shrunk as he cracked his knuckles and placed his digits around Clive's neck. "I plan to enjoy this…"

Page, in reality, was SCREAMING as he watched all of this unfold, as he watched his spectral form strike Clive over and over, torturing him to death…

"STOP IT!" He screamed. "NO MORE!"

Skoodge realized he was quivering with horror. This was too awful. Page was a holy man of the Church, and utterly innocent…the tears going down his cheeks…

He could take no more. He placed his gloved claws against the chair that Page was situated in, specifically against the tube connected to Page's brain and he closed his eyes, activating HIS power…

Cryokinesis…the ability to create ice.

Instantly ice shot out, sparkling and crackling, shorting the circuitry ever-so-slightly…changing the story…

Page's will had been suppressed for too long. Now the full story was revealed and Page was rewarded for his efforts, seeing what had TRULY happened.

He, experiment 620, had thought about Clive's request for a moment, then shrugged. "Very well. I don't mind. It can be your last request. But if you say anything to give me away or alert security or anything of the sort…then I will force you to kill yourself right in front of them. I must not fail in my mission. Jumba entrusted me with a task and I shall perform it." He deposited a letter opener into his cloak pocket and patted it. "Understand?" He said threateningly, jabbing a borrowed finger at the letter opener.

"Yes." Clive agreed.

Nodding, 620 looked at the books on Clive's desk. "So these highlighted pages are for your sermon?"

"Yes, yes, we're to read from that, and then after a little conversation with some volunteers…"

LATER…

He had not expected it to happen.

"Living in a church and wearing a collar does NOT make one closer to God!" Clive preached to the people. "True faith MUST come from the Heart!" He insisted. "Too often we demonize each other! We equate others as being less than ourselves! Thus, by the word of God, we are given dominion over them…"

But happen it had.

"These people who preach governance over those supposedly "beneath" them are hypocrites! You may not abort a fetus, life is sacred, but once it is old enough, thou art free to kill it and claim that life as EVIL…or as COLLATERAL DAMAGE! This line of thinking is unjust! A life never STOPS being sacred and important! ALL beings are equal of love in Sude's eyes!"

He…had fallen in love…with the religion.

"We learned a long time ago that war and violence was not the answer. More people have died in the name of religion than by Cancer…and we tried to cure cancer long before we tried to follow a peaceful way of life. What is it about our respective beliefs that make us more right or more wrong than any other person? The answer is simple: NOTHING, save for how we go about spreading it!"

He had fallen in love with God.

Clive raised his hands before the throng of people in the church. "We must allow LOVE into our hearts…"

Page's spectral form placed his paw on his chest as the first tears he would ever shed came to his eyes.

"And we must remember…"

Page's eyes snapped open in the real world as he smiled, the hooks in his head frozen and shattered, Skoodge looking at him as Tenn got to work on freeing the others. "God never **truly** abandons us." Page finished softly.


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_Sins of the flesh are bad._

But sins of the soul are WORSE. Looking down on somebody for being racially "impure" is worse than being the "village bicycle cuz everybody gets a ride". Granted, one should strive to be neither…

A cold hearted-prig who goes to church regularly is closer to Hell than a whore. We should strive to be neither.

And be grateful when somebody lifts us out of that situation. Carmen's story is a good example, for her long and rather unhappy…

Is it her fault? No, not all of it.

But she made some awful decisions and ended up paying for them. But perhaps…just perhaps…the price was higher than it ought to have been.

Yet there is a happy ending because she kept trying. And all in all…she became stronger because of her experiences.

Don't look back in anger…I hear you say…

Another, like Page, was reliving a life that had been in need of forgiveness.

Her life had not been…good.

…

…

…

…Jumba Jookiba, a four-eyed, fairly fat yet still strong alien with purple skin stepped back from the lab table he was working at. He had on a white lab coat and goggles, and had brushed his ponytail back. "And here we are going, everyone." He said to his audience, which happened to be two alien rodents who looked exactly alike save for their style of dress. Both had white fur, rabbit-like ears, twitchy noses, fuzzy tails, red eyes and paws. Yes, they were albinos, and yes they were twins. And their names were Rupert and Jacques von Hamsterviel.

"So, what should we name her?" Rupert asked eagerly. He was wearing a blue vest.

Jacques waved a paw dismissively. He had a red cape with a yellow "H" insignia on the front of it. "Who cares? It is not THAT important."

"Hey, it is VERY important!" Rupert insisted. "Having a name means having an identity! If you don't have that, then-"

"Please, am trying to concentrate! And I have pick-ed name!" Jumba told them. He had a pipette dropper filled with water, and a yellow pod with the numbers "123" right in front of him. It was a dehydrated experiment. Just add water…POW! One experiment ready and raring to go. He'd just finished its final touches half an hour ago, and was now ready to let her rip.

He dropped the water onto the pod…

It crackled and sizzled, encased in a glowing, swirling orb of yellow energy. The orb grew bigger and bigger until…

KABOOOM!

The orb exploded in a flash of light. Everyone blinked a few times.

There before them was a pink experiment with blue eyes, short antennae…with a tutti-frutti headdress on her head and a maraca in each hand.

"Behold, experiment 123! Design-ed to infect entire populations with infections Latin beats, making them dance until they drop! Also very good at parties, can speak any form of the Latin language, fruit on head is constantly replaced and she happens to be quite sexy…"

"What else can she do?" Jacques inquired.

"Anything but windows."

"What?"

"Private joke. 123 here is designed to be great dancer and singer, are you not, 123?"

123 giggled. She then struck a sexy-looking pose.

"Choo bet it ees, babe! How you like dees?"

She began to shake her hips and twirl around, shaking her maracas. They were all completely caught up in her spell.

"They call me Cuba meat! I'm the Queen of Aruba beat!" She began to shake her upper body. "When I play my maracas I go chee-cheety-boom, chee-cheety-boom!" She shook her breast with every "chee-cheety-boom", then grinned and blew a kiss. The ankle bracelets she had jingled, the gold catching the light in a very fine way.

"Haahhhh…" Rupert said, fainting on the ground, getting a nosebleed. Jacques blushed. Jumba chuckled. "Heh-heh-heh. Made her very sexy! Now then, what was I…oh yes! Her name!"

Rupert stood back up, rubbing his head. "Oh yeah! What DID you decide to name it?"

"Her name shall be Carmen!" Jumba told them. "Having seen primitive but extremely catchy fruity entertainment on Earth was giving Jumba inspiration, heh-heh. Carmen is name of famous Latin entertainer…"

"Allow me to guess…she wears fruits on her head and plays the maracas?"

"And dances very VERY nicely…" Jumba added.

"Ooooh." Rupert exclaimed, mouth forming a perfect little "o".

"Now then, I shall go introduce her to the other experiments. Will see you too tonight at 8:00, is card game night, am I right?"

"Yep. This time I shall be taking you to the cleaners!" Jacques vowed. "You only won last time because you counted the cards. But THIS time we're playing the game "War"!"

"Phooey…"

"So…best of luck to you, Jumba." Jacques said. "Now I must be off. I have more shady business deals to undergo with…"

"I keep telling you, Rahry Amackenn is nothing but troubles." Jumba insisted.

"Yeah, he's a doody-head." Rupert said. "A BIG doody-head."

"Yes…but he's MY doody-head, and he happens to know where to find the best deals on all of the things evil geniuses could ever want, so…"

A few minutes later, Jumba escorted Carmen to the cafeteria where his experiments were eating lunch. He had a microphone with him and tapped it. "Test…test…all right. Now, I would liking you all to give attention to me."

All of them stopped what they were doing and looked right at Jumba. Carmen was right behind him.

"Would now like to introduce my newest addition to my experiments…" Carmen stepped out. "Experiment 123, Carmen."

She waved and smiled, blinking lightly. "Hola, todos! How you all doin, babes?"

Jaws hit the floor.

"She's…"

"So…"

"HOT…"

SOON…

The experiment **Flashbomb** had his arm firmly around Carmen as he gave her his signature "devil may care" grin. His long antennae were reaching down and back, rubbing her butt cheeks. He had neon green fur and a yellow underbelly, sharp yellow claws, a fairly muscular body and razor-sharp teeth. He could stop time in a flash.

Jacques had come up with the name. "Not bad" was what Rupert had deemed it. "Could be worse, but it's not that bad, actually." And thus experiment 146 had taken to the name "Flashbomb"…and taken to the girl known as Carmen.

"Man, she is sexy." He'd first thought upon seeing her. "I wanna make her MINE." And he happened to be very good at charming the ladies. But Carmen wasn't aware that Flashbomb only thought of her as meat, and that he only wanted her for her body.

In any case, the two of them had been going out for about three weeks. The relationship was mostly physical, something that Carmen was beginning to question. She wanted to do other things besides kiss, tongue-bang and antannaeing.

Luckily, the new experiments Jumba was making would provide an interesting development in Carmen's life…

"I present to you…experiments 149 and 150!"

149 was undoubtedly female. She had a slim body and small, orange-tipped antennae, with dark blue eyes and a wide mouth that had two fangs sticking out from the upper jaw. She had two dark green marks on the back of her head and dark green patches on her arms and legs, one for each limb. She also had a yellow "v" stripe on her forehead, with pale, spring green fur and pale yellow fur for her underbelly, although the fur ran all the way from her lower jaw to her privates.

150 was definitely a guy, with a muscular body that resembled a bear. He had stubby antennas with a round face and a wide, almost lantern jaw. He had a small black nose, little pointed ears, beady black eyes and what truly stood out on him was the right hand. Or rather, what SHOULD have been his right hand. It looked like a gun, with a rounded, short, stubby barrel and several small blinking lights on the bottom. A moment later, upon realizing that people were staring, 150 held out the gun and a robotic hand popped out from it's muzzle. Apparently the gun was a multi-purpose tool.

"Nice ta meet ya, I'm 150."

"And I'm 149. Pleased ta meet your acquaintance, sirs and madams."

Carmen shook 150's hand. He had a good firm grip. "Ees nice to meet choo too. I'm Carmen, babes. And this is my novio, Flashbomb."

Flashbomb flashed his smile. "Please. Call me Flash." He said.

"Kid, you gotta voice like a high-school football player, anybody ever tell ya that?" 149 told him, raising an eyebrow. Flashbomb blinked a few times. "Uh…what's a high-school football player?"

Carmen rolled her eyes. Flashbomb wasn't that knowledgeable, unlike 149 and 150, who had been engrained with data during their charging that would increase their knowledge of the outside world. Why? Because they'd need it more than Flashbomb. All he had to do was do stand around, growl a few times maybe, show off his teeth and claws, then stop time and wreck some havoc. Not very complicated. But 149 and 150 were made to steal from EVERYWHERE. Therefore they had to know all about the places they could steal from. In fact…

"Their first mission, as it were, shall be to steal something from old high school, Galaxy High." Jumba told the experiments in the cafeteria with pride. "They will be stealing solid platinum statue of Principal Wartz…still I despise him, even after all these years."

"Yeah, he always sent us to his office. Especially me." Rupert complained.

Jacques nodded. "He irked me…IRKED!"

"Como se llega a esta dirección?" Carmen asked.

"Do not worry!" Jumba told Carmen. "Relax! Your ship will be programmed with the coordinates, 123."

"So when do we get tuh steal stuff?" 150 asked. 149 elbowed him, and he went "Oogh!".

"Quiet! I'M doing the talkin' here! So when do we head out, boss?"

"In a moment. Since I design-ed you to steal any object without being caught, this first mission will be easy…too easy. Therefore I want to killing birds with one stone and sending out Carmen as well, to see how well HER talents can be."

149's eyes looked Carmen over. "Well, she sure would make a good distraction. Whaddya do, shake your ass so the guys all fall over themselves or somethin'?"

Carmen gave her a look. "I'm warnin' you, ramera, I can do more than the Watusi!"

149 growled. "Wanna take this outside, toots?"

"Ooh, a catfight! I wish I'd brought popcorn!" Jacques snickered. Jumba laughed too. Rupert chuckled a bit, but was really taking it more seriously than the rest of them. "Girls, girls, calm down." He said, intervening in the fight by stepping in between the two hissing-mad experiments. "This is not the time or the place. Just calm down, okay?"

Flashbomb pulled Carmen back. "Yeah, Carmen. You don't wanna mess with a girl like her, she ain't worth it…right?" Carmen looked at the ground. "Well…"

Rub-rub-rub…

"…naaaaahhhh."

"THAT'S it. Now you two get along, you hear?" Rupert told them. "Shake."

149 grumbled. Carmen grudgingly held out her hand. "Aquí." She said. Both shook slowly.

"Don't worry, Carmen." Flashbomb said, giving her a backrub. "When you get back, I'm gonna make you feel all better by loving you up-and-down-and-all-around!"

SOON…

"…I still don't like you, but I hate this mission more than I hate you right now."

"Yo también, babe."

"Well this sure is awkward."

150 turned on the windshield wipers. "Basta ya!" Carmen shouted. "Sorry."

Because Jumba was an a particularly evil mood, he'd forced 149, 150 and Carmen to sit in a spaceship with a huge trunk and a small cockpit. A ship which…well, which was really only a two-man spaceship. 150 was wedged between the two girls, Carmen on his right and 149 on his left. 149 was stone-faced as she drove the spaceship through the hangar bay that would lead them out to space. Once there, they'd make the hyper-jump to Galaxy High, and then Carmen would provide a dancing distraction while the thieves busted in and stole the statue. Easy, right?

One little problem though…

"Of all the days for their to be a teacher's reunion!" 149 cursed.

The school was a huge building on a huge planetoid with a large, invisible air dome protecting the people inside. There were markers showing where the dome extended out to, and there was a huge front lawn inside the dome, with double doors leading into the school's front hallway. In that front hall, there was the statue, but on the quad were dozens and dozens of teachers who had gathered for their "25th reunion" at the school.

"NOW how are we gonna get that statue?" 149 complained. Carmen thought for a little while as they hovered in space, out of detection distance of the school's scanners. Suddenly the communications crackled to life.

"What is problem? Expected you to be calling to inform you were arriving."

"What's wrong, babealicious?"

"What's wrong ees that there are a whole lotta teachers here, Jumba! You deedent tell us about dees reunión, estupdio!"

"Was not knowing. Anyway, is no biggie. You can still accomplish mission."

"We don't have the password fer the dome, Jumba!" 149 complained. "Mind tellin' us what it is?"

Jumba sighed. "Cannot believe they were not changing it, but here is password. 1…"

"1."

"2…"

"2."

"3…"

"3."

"4…"

"4."

"5…"

"Five. So the password is 1-2-3-4-5…" 149 thought out loud.

There was a brief silence. Then…

"What a stupid password."

"Ees like the kind of thing some peredor would use on hees locker combo!"

Flash, back at Jumba's lab, tugged on Jumba's lab coat. "Uh…could you change my locker combo for me?"

They entered the password and the ship flew into the dome from the back. "We'll have to engage the cloaking shields." 149 said. "They're only good for half an hour, so we gotta make this quick and land on the roof. That's the only place we won't be seen."

They touched down on the roof and the cockpit opened. All of them scrambled out and over to a ventilator shaft that led into the building. "149, 150, you go on in. I'll take care of those tontos down there. Comprende?"

"…sure." 149 grumbled. "Just don't mess up."

"Idem. Same to you, novato."

"Bitch." 150 grumbled as he tried to crawl into the vent. Unfortunately, he got stuck. Carmen almost started laughing, but work came before pleasure, so she quickly went over to a nearby fire escape and climbed down, heading for the front lawn.

Everyone you looked there were aliens of every shape and size, all interested in talking about "the golden years". Or, as Carmen would put it, "Años dorados".

Two such aliens were standing in front of a karaoke stage that was all hooked up to go.

"So Pillo, how ya been?" The first one asked. He had no hair, sunglasses, and resembled a "Visitor" alien.

The second one had 6 long fingers, spiky hair and three legs. "Eh, not too good, Manny. It's been years since I was teachin' History. Now I have to flip burgers for-what the?"

Carmen had jumped up onto the karaoke stage and had a microphone in her hands. All of the teachers turned to look at her.

"Hola! Cómo está todos esta noche? Mi nombre es Carmen, babes! Everyone having a good time, huh?"

They all looked at her, blinking a few times. "What's THAT thing?" One of them asked.

"I dunno, but it's HOT…"

Carmen pressed the "Play" button on a song on the Karaoke machine and brought out her maracas. "Listen up, todos! Are you ready for a bien tiempo, cuz I am! One, two, three four!"

_Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena…  
Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegría y cosa buena!  
Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena…  
Ehhhh, Macarena!_

Darn it, but that girl could **sing**! Soon the people of the crowd found themselves dancing the Macarena as Carmen belted out the lyrics in fluent, beautiful, hypnotic Spanish. She moved her body fluidly, as if she was a rose planted near a beach that was dancing in the ocean breeze, and her scent seemed enticing too, spicy, forbidden, yet somehow irresistible, like her singing and dancing. It went through the crowd, nobody was spared. All of them fell in line and began to dance!

_Macarena tiene un novio que se llama  
Que se llama de apellido Vitorino!  
Y en la jura de bandera del muchacho…  
Se la dio con dos amigos!_

Meanwhile, inside the school, 149 and 150 were carrying the solid platinum statue of Principal Wartz up the steps to the roof. They looked out the window and saw all the teachers dancing and 150's eyebrows went up. "Oh wow, she's GOOD!" He complimented. "Lookit those hips jiggle! And she sure can shake a maraca!"

"Ah, she's okay I guess." 149 muttered. "Now come on, let's get this thing up to the ship's trunk!" The teachers were dancing up a storm along with Carmen, but none of them could match her smooth and fluid dance moves, no matter how fast they danced. Soon a lot of them began to pant and wheeze and their chests heaved to and fro. They finally collapsed on the ground, dropping one by one until one remained, huffing and puffing on the quad. Carmen jumped off the karaoke stage and walked up to him. She held up one finger and tipped him over with it. He fell down and groaned, falling into unconsciousness. Grinning, she walked towards the front of the school, where 149 and 150 were waiting for her. A couple of teachers lay near them, more victims of Carmen's sexy dancing.

149 crossed her arms. "The statue's in the trunk, let's get outta here." She muttered. "I don't wanna hang 'round here no more."

Carmen looked at what she'd done and grinned evilly. "Esta fiesta se acabo. Vamos a recoger velas."

150 suddenly tapped her shoulder. "WHAT?" She snapped. He was pointing fearfully at the teacher closest to them, an alien with a single eye on a long stalk, who used his long and strong arms to walk. His feet appeared small, and he was very, very pale. VERY pale…

And not breathing.

"Uh…I think he's dead." 150 managed to get out. 149 walked up to the teacher and looked him over, sniffing him a bit. Then she lay down and checked his pulse on his wrist.

"…oh jeez…Carmen, you…you KILLED him!"

"I think she killed more than him, 149!" 150 gulped, pointing at the teachers strewn out over the quad. A lot of them weren't moving, weren't breathing. They'd danced so hard and so fast they'd reached a point of exhaustion and had…

"They danced 'till they dropped. It happens." Carmen said simply. "Or, as it's most commonly said,_ la mierda sucede._"

149 tossed her a disgusted look and walked back inside. "Just follow us back to the roof." She muttered. 150 followed right behind, looking back nervously at Carmen, who simply shrugged coldly and followed them.

…

…

…

…Back in Jumba's lab, 3 weeks after Carmen's fist successful mission, 221 entered her life. She'd dumped Flashbomb after he'd embarrassed her at lunch (details were best left unknown) and she now had a successful relationship with 221. 221 was an electric experiment who resembled what Stitch would look like, only he was thinner, with yellow skin and big blue eyes. He had long antennae as well, and electricity sparked between them. His tail ended like a lightning bolt and he had a big smile.

221 was very, very fun, and Carmen liked his mischievous personality. He was always sneaking up on her and grabbing her breasts or butt from behind, making her giggle or squeak. She couldn't get enough of his little "shock therapy" jokes on the other experiments and, most importantly of all…

"Boy, 221 sure is great." Carmen told 228, a dragon-like experiment. He had a turned up snout that sort of resembled a pig, wings, thin ears and a thin body. He had sharpened fingernails and small talons and a spiked tail. He was able to melt anything with his fiery blasts. Carmen, 228 and 251 were sitting together. 251 resembled a sort of alien rabbit, who had big red eyes, antennae with a light brown band on the end of them, thick paws with three small fingers on them and yellow skin with a creamy underbelly.

"We know you like him, he likes you a lot too." 228 said. "He wrecked Kingpin's room yesterday and wrote "221 and Carmen Forever" in scorch patterns."

Carmen laughed out loud. "Oh, always the kidder! Last night he and I tried something."

251 leaned close. "Really? Me and 353 tried out something last night too. It's called, um…er…darn it! I should be able to remember it, it's only 2 words!"

Carmen grinned happily at the memory of last night. She'd been on her bed, and 221 had approached her.

"Hey, babe. How you doing?"

Carmen smiled at him. "You know how I've been doin, babe. Come on, let's do it."

"Want me to try something new?" Sparky asked, eyebrows going up inquisitively.

Carmen winked at him. "You know it."

221 grinned wildly at her and his antennas sparked. He approached her, and the antennas reached down, down…going inside of her, thrusting in, giving off a little static shock. Carmen gasped, then sighed. "That feels tingly…" She said.

Sparky was now on top of her, antennae still within her womanhood. "Want some more?" He asked softly, tickling her insides gently. She nodded.

They twisted and turned within her, tickling her all around, yet also thrusting in, craving to reach her center. Carmen lay back and relaxed as 221 rubbed his body up against her, electric sparks zipping off as their fur brushed. His noses rubbed up against hers and she crooned softly. Suddenly there, it happened. The antennae had reached that point, that special point. She felt a beautiful release and 221 lowered himself down her body, lapping her essence up while his antennas, now out of her, rubbed her nipples gently.

"Mmm…" He said, raising his head up. "Wonderful…"

"Do it again…" She begged him softly. 221 nodded. "Anything for you…" He said. His antennae arched up once more, then thrust inside of her…

…

…

…

…"Hey babe!" 221 called out. He approached her with his usual big grin. "Got a message from the boss man. Said I'm goin' on a mission to take out a power plant that's been ticking Jumba off with their bills. He's going to be coming along to walk me through it a little, but what I wanted to ask you was…wanna come with me? Jumba said it'd be okay."

Carmen beamed. "Oh, you got it, babe! See, Flash would've NEVER let me do this kinda stuff when I was with him! All he wanted was sex, sex, sex. Never time for anything really fun!"

And so, about an hour later…

"Uh…are you sure this is the right way to the power plant, boss man?" 221 asked.

"I thought you knew where it was, Jumba!" Carmen exclaimed.

Jumba smiled sheepishly. "Uh, sorry Carmen. I forgot."

Carmen banged her head against the nearest window. "ARGH! Alguien consigue un mapa maldito hacia fuera!"

"Whuh?"

"I said…someone get a d—n map out!"

Jumba was dressed up in camouflage gear, with a dorky-looking wide-brimmed hat, night-vision goggles, gloves and boots. He had a large backpack on, and he put it down, pulling out a map.

"Let's see…should be…somewhere around…"

He pointed at a point on the map. "There." Then he looked up and squinted through a space in the trees. "Ha-HA! Found it!"

Sure enough, there it was. A power plant supplying urbonium. It closely resembled a nuclear power plant, with two large circular reactors, a fence all around it, smoke billowing out from it's bowels, only the smoke was BLUE, interestingly enough…

And it was situated over a lake, floating right above it.

"Is secret entrance under bottom of facility. We shall be entering through there."

Sneaking up to the lake's edge, Jumba took out a small orb, with three small circular buttons on it. "1st button…do not EVER push unless I say so. Second button…will teleport holder straight back to rally point…"

He took out a small metal shaft that had a blinking light on it and stuck it in the ground a good distance away from the waters edge "HERE. And third button…" He walked back to Carmen and 221 and pressed it.

BA-WOOP! A large bubbles made of air surrounded all of them. "Oxygenated containment field for underwater exploration, heh-heh, I am GENIUS! GENIUS! And multi-tasker! Made this while watching soaps AND baking evil genius cookies."

221 clapped. "Bravo, Jumba. Bravo."

The three of them walked onto the water, the bubbles surrounding them keeping them from falling in. They simply walked across the lake, and right to the bottom of the power plant.

"Look up." Jumba said. He pointed straight up, and there was a small hatch. "Now then…"

He turned to 221. "When am saying jump, jump up and go through hatch, 221. Then lowering ladder so that we may climb up."

221 nodded.

"Ready…JUMP!"

221 jumped into the air, his lower body melting, changing into living electricity as he flowed up and through the air on the air currents all around him. Moving fluidly, he almost MELTED into the hatch. A few moments later…

It opened, and a long ladder was slowly descending towards them, a ladder both Jumba and Carmen both climbed up.

They found themselves at the end of a huge hallway, with grey/black walls and stainless steel floors, with dimly lit lights on the walls that lit up the hallway dimly. While the area they were at was very large, the hallways were (interestingly enough) small, and the paths split off in two directions.

"Hmm. Quiet. Too quiet. Carmen, go to right, 221 and I will be going left."

"Ay, captain!" Carmen said, walking off.

221 and Jumba carefully made their way down the hallway, listening for any footsteps. But there seemed to be nobody there…

However, after reaching the end and opening up the door, they understood why. They wee now looking right out of a huge booth which overlooked one of the reactor cores. Down below, near the reactor, was a huge party.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Boooooobbbb…"

"Oh, shucks guys!"

"Happy Birthday toooo yooouuuu!"

221 grinned. "Aw, how cute, a birthday party. Too bad we'll have to crash it." He approached the computer console of the booth. Jumba examined it. "This appears to be the controlling console for reactor. If goes haywire…"

"Say no more." 221 said, diving in, gleefully cackling. Jumba stepped far back as the console began to spark and sizzle, turning into useless slag as 221 did his work.

Meanwhile…

Carmen was standing next to an open door, lined up against the wall and listening. Three guards were inside, laughing and joking, talking about "Bob's birthday". Apparently there was a party at the other reactor for some guard.

"Heh-heh. So I said, "Rectum? Damn near KILLED him!"

"Ha-ha-ha!"

"Man, that's funny. Want me to getcha a beer, dude?"

"Sure thing, man."

The guards were all dressed up in suits and helmets, which made it impossible to see what they really looked like, what their facial features were, the whole shebang. They closely resembled Galactic Alliance guards, only they were slightly larger in size, and they had shorter tails.

Since she couldn't see their faces though, Carmen didn't feel so bad about doing what she did. She jumped up into the air, onto the ceiling, holding onto the maracas with her mouth and clinging tightly. The guard who'd offered to get a beer walked out and past her, down the hallway and into another door. She jumped down and shook her maracas, grinning evilly.

"Now for some fun." She said, walking into the room where the other two guards were.

"Hey babes. Want me to play a song for you? Choo must be so lonely, being away from that party, huh?"

They turned around and stared at Carmen, blinking. "Woah, who's the sexy trog?"

"I dunno, but WOAH! Get a look at those boobies!"

"Boobs!"

"Boooobs!"

"Oh, you like my testas, do you? Well, how do you like theese?

She began to shake her "testas" rapidly, singing a Spanish rendition of a song that sounded a lot like "Hit me baby one more time" by Britney Spears. The guards could not help but join in the dancing. And…naturally…

THUMP!

THUMP!

Both fell down. They weren't dead, but they'd danced themselves to exhaustion. Carmen stepped over their panting, sweaty bodies and over to the controls the guards had been at.

"Hmm, let's see…" She examined one dial that had the words "Pressure Gauge" over it. "I wonder what would happen if I did…" She twisted the dial. "THIS."

In the kitchen, the guard who had been getting a beer suddenly heard an unmistakable "hiss" from the sink. He looked over, right at it. It was sprinkling little droplets of water everywhere. He walked up to it to twist the handle and turn it off, but the moment he touched it…

KABOOOOOM!

A huge stream of water erupted from the sink and from various cracks in the walls as the plumping system went crazy. The guard was floated out into the hallway, waterlogged and without the beer, as the water continued to rise higher and higher.

Meanwhile, 221 jumped out of the reactor console. The whole place was sure to blow, red lights were flashing, sirens were going off, and the party had been crashed. "Job well done." Jumba congratulated 221. "Very well done." He walked to the door, head still turned to look at Sparky. "Now let us be taking our-"

SPLISH.

"Leave?" Jumba looked down at his foot…it was wet. "What the?" He saw that the place was FLOODING, water rising higher and higher. "Oh my, oh dear! Is not good, is not good at all…"

"Why not?" 221 asked.

"Water is catalytic material for urbonium! Reactor is presently leaking it, if they combine, results will be CATASTROPHIC!" He waved his arms above his head to illustrate the seriousness of his point. 221 gulped. "We have mere minutes to escape, perhaps less than 10!"

221 gasped. "T-t-ten minutes? Let's get the hell outta here!" They bolted down the hallway, Jumba's feet splashing, sending water everywhere. Jumba's pants were now soaked and 221 whizzed through the air, frightened of the thought of imminent death.

Meanwhile, Carmen was walking down the hallway. Water was rising all around her. It annoyed her, but that was about it, she knew the way out.

Unfortunately, when she arrived at the rendezvous point, turning the corner…

"HALT!"

There were three guards there. And they had her in their sights. One motioned with his plasma rifle for her to get up against the wall, glaring beneath his visor.

Carmen sighed. "Fine, fine. Voy a tener que tirar la toalla. Me doy por vencido."

"What?" One guard asked.

"She says she gives up." Jumba told them.

"Oh. Well spread 'em, NOW! Against the wall!" Carmen rolled her eyes but did so.

"Hey…she's pretty cute…" One realized out loud.

"Nice ass." Another complimented.

"Let's, uh…have some fun before we shoot them…" One suggested evilly. Jumba's eyes widened. He didn't want his precious Carmen to be hurt in such a way! But before he could do anything and before Sparky could leap into action to save his girl, Carmen reacted, whipping around. Eyes filled with hate, she spat on the ground, baring her teeth. Her eyes narrowed and her claws extended fully. "Voy a la matanza que coge tu!"

The guards looked at each other, stupefied. "What did she say?" They asked Jumba, turning their backs to Carmen and looking right at him and 221, who stared behind them at Carmen, who was changing…

"She said…she said "I am going to fucking kill you"…"

221 gasped. The guards looked puzzled. "What are YOU staring at-"

"Oh, JuSt Me, tU iDiOtAs EsTuPiDoS!"

The guards turned slowly around and came face to face with a pink experiment of death. Carmen had grown to colossal size, her teeth had become razor sharp fangs, her claws had thickened and extended, and talons had grown from her feet. Her muscles bulged, and she towered over all of them, grinning evilly down at the unfortunate guards as she drooled.

"Also designed experiment 123 with transformation powers that augment strength and speed…" Jumba told 221 quietly.

The first guard immediately peed his pants.

Carmen slammed one clawed hand down, crushing the first guard. He was now ten feet deep into the floor of the reactor, smushed up. The second guard reacted fairly quickly, firing his gun off. It struck Carmen in the shoulder and she gasped in pain. Deciding to return the favor, Carmen grabbed the guard and began pulling at his arm. Jumba made 221 look away and plugged the electric experiment's ears, but couldn't cover his own, so he heard the screaming and the loud "pop" that resulted.

Flinging him down, the second guard groaned in pain, his arm now useless and hanging from his side. But Carmen wasn't finished with the poor schmuck just yet, she had other plans. She raised a taloned foot and grinded him into the ground. He was now little more than blood, guts and uniform. 221 gasped in horror. This was disgusting, horrific…yet he couldn't look away. Jumba closed all of his eyes and covered his face, he was feeling ill watching all of this.

The third guard realized he stood no chance. He tried to run. He bolted down the hallway, screaming, dropping his gun. That was a mistake. Carmen picked it up as the guard ran and carefully aimed it, firing off a single shot that hit him in the leg. He fell down with a wail of pain, clutching his wound. The pink experiment walked over, grinning sadistically, claws clenching and unclenching. When she'd reached the guard she leaned down and picked him up, tossing him into her mouth. She began to chew vigorously, then finally swallowed, picking her teeth with a single claw.

"MmM. dElIcIoUs."

Jumba almost puked, but suppressed it. Carmen walked over, transforming back to normal. He looked right at her, not speaking.

Then, finally, he held up the rally point beacon and pressed the button. A moment later, all of them were outside of the reactor, and running a good distance away. It landed with a splash into the lake below, and exploded into chunks and debri with a BOOM and a flash of neon light.

As the wreckage sank to the bottom of the lake, Jumba sighed and brushed his hair back.

"I…am thinking we should go. Now."

The trip back was strained. Carmen kept talking about how good of a job they'd done while Jumba and 221 stayed quiet, visibly shaken and obviously disgusted with what Carmen had done. When they arrived at the lab, Jumba stepped out of the ship and immediately ordered them both to go to bed. Carmen was surprised…but went along with it, sleeping peacefully.

But 221, on the other hand, couldn't sleep a wink. He kept seeing the guard's expressions of fear and terror in his head…

...

...

...

...Poor Rupert screamed horribly. He was reliving something that made his life a living hell. As "Death" he was a guide of souls, one of many, and capable of travelling between the realms. Those with a tie to the grand ohana that had been founded so long ago in Kokaua Town would be greeted at one point by him as he calmly beckoned them either to the Other Side…or, if it was not yet their time, back to their family.

This was somewhat of a thankless job, made all the more crueler by the fact that he was a doctor and supposed to UPHOLD life…not take it away. And…he died…often.

He would FEEL the deaths of other Hamsterviels across the multiverse and experience their death. Just as Page was beginning HIS dream, Rupert had screamed horribly, blood flowing down the center of his chest. His body was cut in half for a moment as tears welled in both eyes, the pain becoming unbearable before vanishing, his body returning to normal.

Somewhere, somehow, a Hamsterviel had been cut in half…and he had seen who.

He tried hard to forgive those people, it wasn't like they KNEW they were also killing a GOOD Hamsterviel for every bad one they offed, but it was very hard sometimes…

So hard to forgive those who wronged him. And there had been many.

Meanwhile, Carmen continued to dream.

…

…

…

…Carmen wanted to be cared for.

But because of this, Carmen was gaining a different reputation as more and more experiments became made. She was now "Ms. Can't Keep Her Legs Together", and "The Village Bicycle". In other words, a total slut. Nobody would sit with her except for her current boyfriend, or better yet, "battering ram", and nobody ever wanted to simply "hang" with her except for a few of her more understanding, personal friends like 221, 251 and 228.

221 would constantly be telling her "You're wasting your life! You've got to stop going around and fucking everyone who'll stop by your room! Are you listening to me?"

251 would try to reason with her. "It's not a good idea, some of these guys, they…they may have diseases, and you know they'll end up hurting you if…"

228 would be straightforward. "We care about you. Don't keep this up. You don't have to."

However, there was a reason behind her loose morals and promiscuity…

499 stood up. He brushed himself off. He was a very muscular experiment and very tough, but not too bright. He had a vaguely reptilian head, red eyes, hoove-like hands and red "flame" crests on his elbows with more running down his back. He also had red patches on his knees. 449 was a frequent visitor to Carmen's room, and she liked having a "macho man" holding her.

But this time, when he got up to leave and head back to his room, he heard…

"Don't."

He turned around, and saw Carmen's blue eyes, pleading. "Don't. Please."

"…huh?"

"Don't leave…please don't."

499 blinked slowly, then shrugged. "I'm tired. Goodnight." And with that, left. Carmen stood up in her bed, covers strewn aside. She held her pillow to her chest and lowered her head into it, crying.

Something changed that night. A long time passed and Carmen only came out to get something to bring to her room. Eventually she stopped doing that and her friends had to leave food outside of her room for her to get. She stayed within, never stepping out, alone in her own little dungeon, her self-imposed punishment.

221, 228 and 251 tried to get her out. One day they approached the door, knocking on it.

"Carmen?" 221 called out. "Carmen, are you there?"

No answer.

"Please, Carmen, come out." 228 begged. "This has gone on long enough. You've been in there for a year now."

No answer.

"Carmen, please, we care about you. Let us help you." 251 pleaded.

There was still no answer.

221, 228 and 251 would come back over and over. The answer was always the same…nothing. Carmen wouldn't come out. Now she had a new reputation…a promiscuous Latin lover who was always mysterious, never leaving her room. And Carmen never wanted to leave the room.

Then the 600 series came along…

Specifically, 601.

"So, what's this girl like again?"

601 was sitting at a table with 062, 149, 150 and 499, while Carmen's friends glared over at his table from their own, silently chewing on sandwiches. 601 was a very muscular experiment with four arms and purple fur all over his body. He was rather beastly when it came to his temper and he had a short, squat head. He also had a fairly large dark maroon nose. BUT…he was strong. VERY strong. And very, VERY much a macho man.

"Oh, theese girl, she is amazing!" 062 proclaimed.

"Carmen's pretty dang…pretty. That's for sure." 150 agreed.

"But she's pretty ruthless too." 149 told 601.

"But MAN can she f—k!" 499 said. "Though she ain't been outta her room in like two or three years…"

601 scratched his head. "So she's supposed to be really beautiful, huh?"

"Oui, oui!" 062 insisted. "A most beautiful mademoiselle indeed!"

"But she hasn't come out of her room. I think she's really lonely. Nobody ever stays with her long enough so she doesn't trust anyone…" 149 sighed. "I can't believe it, but I feel kinda sorry for her."

601 was quiet for a long time. Then he made his decision, getting up and walking out of the cafeteria.

He walked down the hallway, straight to Carmen's room. He looked at the door.

"Hmm. Looks pretty tough. Not enough for ME, though. HEY! Is there a girl named "Carmen" in there?"

"…si."

"The designation's 601. I heard you're lonely."

"…"

"Why not let me come in? I heard you like tough guys…I'm very, VERY tough."

"…prove it."

He DID. 601 raised his fist and brought it through the door in one swift CRA-THUNK! The door shattered and splinters fell to the ground. Carmen, who was smelly and who hadn't been out of her room in years looked up at this new suitor.

"Oh WOW." She said. "Ay Caramba, you're…you're strong!"

"You bet." He said softly. "But…I can be very…gentle, if I want to be." He insinuated. He walked up to her and ever-so-gently brushed her cheek. "I can see through the dust and dirt on you. You're very beautiful. Let's get you cleaned up, you deserve to feel refreshed. I'll carry you."

Carmen blushed. "Oh, really? C-carry me? I…I'd like that…"

601 carried Carmen down the hall to the showers whilst many other experiments watched. All of them murmured, shocked that 601 had managed to break down Carmen's door AND sweep her off her feet in a single move! He was so lucky.

601 carried Carmen into the showers and up to a stall, turning the water on for her and testing it until it was at a nice temperature. He led her in and as she felt the water wash over her, she felt his gigantic, strong hands upon her, rubbing her, caressing her back, massaging her sadness away. His four arms rubbed all over her, cleaning her well with bars of soap and scented bath oil he'd found. When the shower was over he brought her a towel and wrapped her in it.

"You smell very nice." He said. She blushed.

"M-muchas gracias, senor…" She murmured.

"How about I read you a story? I have this favorite story I like reading, maybe you'll like it too…"

"I…I think I would like that mucho, mucho much."

Although the story of "Binky the Reindeer" was surprisingly graphic, it proved something…601 seemed to genuinely care.

So it came as no surprise that for the follow 4 years they were together, up until 625's creation, that Carmen became…happy. Truly happy.

Her friends were all excited when they saw her smile had returned. Soon Carmen was back doing missions again…and she'd stopped being a…forgive the pun…KILLER dancer. Also, she did parties for everybody if it was requested of her, becoming popular.

601 always was grateful hearing her soothing Spanish voice whenever she spoke on the communications channel during his missions. It gave him courage beyond anything he'd known, and convinced him to try harder, harder…and he always did. He would become strong, he vowed. The strongest of them all.

And Carmen couldn't have been happier.

Then something happened. Something…very, very wrong.

It had been a strange set of events. If not for the factor of blind luck, than 625 and 601 would never have met. 621 never interacted with too many people except for experiment 624's friends, like 149 and 150 among others. If he had met Carmen, the story would be so much different. Yet when 625 was made…

Instantly something occurred. Something happened in all of the female experiments.

Rivalry surged up like never before.

"Choo leetle!" Carmen hissed, slashing at 624, who leapt back and bristled up, baring her teeth and her claws. "Don't choo mess with me, you BEETCH!"

"You're an old hag!" 624 spat out. Naturally they were speaking Galactic, or rather, the dialect Tantalog, a sort of rough version of the language.

"Oh PLEASE, you're just new meat! Choo not even one year old!" Carmen snapped. She'd been putting up with 624's little age comments for a while, but now they had gotten mean. "You're just a BABY, si, a baby!"

"I'm more developed than YOU!" 624 snapped.

"Choo come from MY design, BABE." Carmen snickered.

149 and 353 were also arguing all the time while 150 and 221 watched the whole scene unfold…with popcorn supplied by 228.

"Have some more, fellows. Old Kernel popped it nice and fresh." The three of them were sitting in big plushy chairs while watching the four-way catfight in the cafeteria, which was oddly empty today. Jumba had a lot of experiments helping him with something big, but he wouldn't tell anybody what it was. They suspected it had something to do with 625, who was quite the handsome hunk of an experiment. And that Brooklyn accent…it was so EXOTIC.

624 suddenly tripped 123 with her long antennas and jumped on her. The two began scratching and clawing. Bonnie and 353, meanwhile, raised their shouting to evil 11.

"YOU KNOW THAT MY PARTNER IS BETTER THAN YOURS!"

"YOU _WISH_ THAT YOUR PARTNER WAS BETTER THAN MINE!"

"BRING ITTTTT!"

"IT'S **BROUGHT!**"

The two then collided and began snarling and biting just like Carmen and 624. The guys all cheered.

"Now if only we could get them into a shower!" 150 said.

"Where on Earth is Jumba when you need him?" Experiment 620 remarked, shaking his head in disappointment. "Oh my brothers and sisters, why must you fight?" He said sadly as he walked out of the cafeteria.

Suddenly at that moment, 625 entered the room. Everything stopped as they took him in and he took the whole cafeteria scene in.

"Hey…you ladies all fightin' over little 'ol me?"

"Er…choo wish, babe!"

"Y-yeah! We're just…doing combat practice!"

The girls all stood up and dusted themselves off. "But we're, eh…we're all finished now, see?" 149 said.

"Yeah." 221 said. "So, uh, we're just going to go to our rooms and, uh…read a good book!"

And with that they took off. The guys all began laughing, save for 625, who grinned. "Boy, I love being me. I really do."

Carmen paced her room over and over. She had to think of a way to outperform 624. She had heard that the pink RIPOFF of her had dumped her old boyfriend, but she wanted to show that she could be loyal. So she would stay with her darling 601. But what to do?

Wait…if she looked HOTTER than 624, than not only would her boyfriend be impressed, then EVERYONE would see how much better she was! But how to make herself hotter? How? Ho-

She then looked down.

Inspiration.

Running into Jumba's lab, surprising him while he was at his drawing board, doing sketch-work for future missions, she asked him: "Make my _tetas_ one more size!"

Jumba coughed and spluttered. "WH-WHAAAA!"

"Make them bigger, por favor?" Carmen asked.

"I-I I COULD but that-that would be…er…ethically wrong…?" He finished lamely.

"Choo are evil scientist making living weapons of mass destruction."

"…er…well…good point. Okay, okay. Get on the table, get on the table…"

A little splicing here, poof-poof-poof, some strange tingling feelings and the odd buzzing in your head…and soon…

601 gaped.

624 gasped.

221 groaned.

625 growled. "Oh…BABY…"

123 entered the cafeteria as all of the experiments stared at her walking in…her and her double-C breasts. She brushed right by 625, winked at 228, shoved 624 aside, and then flung herself into 601's arms.

"Hey babe. How do choo like me now?"

601's mouth opened and closed. Then finally he spoke.

"Gosh, you're purdy." He said in a sort of dumbstruck voice. Carmen beamed. Suddenly he lifted her up and began carrying her away.

"Where you going?" 625 asked. "Jumba said he wanted you to help me on my mission today!"

"Tell him I'm with my babe…**and I won't be available for 3 hours!**" 601 shouted back.

And everyone cheered.

Yeah…it felt good.

At first, anyhow. Then 620 had started talking to her.

"Sister Carmen, I beseech you." He begged her. "You must not let your desire for acceptance and love turn you into a whore. You do not need to change your physical form solely to one-up anybody else…we will love you all the same."

Carmen had ignored his advice, but deep down…she'd wanted to believe him. Believe that no matter what she looked like, she would be loved. But she felt this was the best way to ensure she'd be loved.

However, with the development of her new breasts came something Carmen hadn't expected. 601's inner lust had been sated easily by her before. But now it was burning hotter than before due to Jumba's "improvements" on Carmen's body. She soon found after the first night with them that he was surprisingly passionate. At first it was alright, enjoyable but…time passed. He started becoming overly obsessed with her.

She would get looks and winks from guys, and she knew that her mate would be paying them a visit to beat their faces black and blue. He was becoming far, far too obsessed with her. He often demanded that they spend the nights together all the time. He didn't want her sitting with anyone else but him.

He scared her. What…

What could she do?

And then something odd happened one day. A strange alien appeared in the cafeteria. 601 took it on…and…

He LOST. Not to mention the alien ran away and escaped him!

And something snapped. He dragged her to his room and-and…

Pain…all over. How, HOW can somebody hit so hard and so fast! Her already blue eyes were getting bluer with each punch, black welts on every piece of her once-delicate fur…

Fight back! She screamed in her head. But…she couldn't…she was too afraid. She just took the punishment, the forceful sex that came after…and then she crawled out when he was asleep. She ran to her friends rooms and spent the night there, too afraid that 601 would come after her at night in her own room. She alternated between her friend's rooms for the next months…and had even spent some time with 593. One night of intimate comfort with her had…it had felt good.

Over time, she saw 624's relationship with 625 sour and she felt pity. 625 had lost his looks quite a bit, but he had also become lazy and cowardly. He'd even scratched 624 once when she'd tried to comfort him. That was no way to treat the one you cared for.

One person she was beginning to care for was 620. He was becoming a good, dear friend. His inspirational words comforted her in a way she had never known possible.

One day she had been in her room, clearing out her things, hoping Jumba would build her a new, secret room, when of all people, 624 burst in.

"The Galactic Federation caught wind of what Jumba's doing, we gotta go to the dehydration chambers, FAST!"

"Wh-why did you?" 123 asked as 624 dragged her along the hallways. "I'm, I'm your RIVAL, aren't I?"

"We're ALL in danger." 624 said. "And rivalries are…are dumb. All they do is hurt people who get caught in the middle."

Carmen was sure she saw a tear fall down from 624's eyes. But she said nothing. She said nothing when she got into the dehydration chamber and slowly walked inside. The glass tubes shut, and she saw the looks of fellow experiments in front of her, all of them line up. Once dehydrated, they would roll, in pod form, down to a small hole in the bottom that lead to a big experimental containment capsule that was prepared for them.

She saw 601 in front of her, looking down at her slightly from the experiment above him. He mouthed words, and she knew what he was saying.

"I WILL find you."

And then she didn't feel anything…

Nothing but darkness…cold…lonely…

"No, no more!" She sobbed inside of her head, watching it all unfold. "Someone…help me…"

And help DID come. For then the memory moved on…and Carmen was suddenly someplace warm, sunny…and a little girl was looking into her blue eyes with her own big brown ones…an alien girl, the same species as the alien from the cafeteria incident so long ago.

"Aloha." She said. "You're experiment 123, right?"

Carmen blinked. She was frightened. She didn't know what this thing really was, and she hadn't done missions for a long time. But when she tried to back away, she hit something soft and furry. She turned around and came face to face with one of her fellow experiments, but…it wasn't any she'd ever seen. It looked familiar though, she'd seen his image somewhere before…

"That's experiment 626." The girl went on. "But he likes being called Stitch."

"Ih. My name Stitch." Carmen's fellow experiment said. He held his hand out and helped a surprised Carmen up. "Aloha, cousin!"

"…c-cousin?" Carmen said.

"Ooh, what a nice accent! Spanish, right?" Lilo asked.

"S-si, senorita." Carmen said. She tried to recompose herself. "Hola. Me nombre es Carmen."

Carmen tried to smile, and surprised herself by succeeding. "And…and you?" She asked the girl.

"I'm Lilo!" The girl said happily. "Carmen's such a pretty name. You know, you're lucky we found you before Gantu did. He's such a big stinky-head. Now come on, let's get you to our house for some coconut cake!"

"Cake?"

C-CAKE?

…she LOVED cake!

"All right!" Carmen said. "I'd…like some cake. Muchas gracias for inviting me to your casa, senorita Lilo."

"Oh, "senorita", you are so cool! Could you teach me some Spanish swears?"

"Choo are too young." Carmen immediately said.

The Niña sighed. "Aww…"

Lilo and Stitch led Carmen down the path they were on to a yellow house with a long railing stairway that led to the front door. Upon opening the door, Lilo allowed Carmen inside first, and Carmen saw Jumba on the couch. When Jumba saw her, he gaped.

"Experiment 123! Carmen, my dear Carmen, how are you?" He asked.

"Jumba!" Carmen said happily, bounding into his arms as he hugged her. "I missed you, my darling! How have you been?"

"How have CHOO been babe?" Carmen asked him right back. "I just got "poofed" back, y'know!"

"Heh-heh. I missed your "babes". Lilo, Stitch, meet one of my sexiest and finest experiments. The lovely experiment 123, who I nicknamed after Tutti-Frutti lady." Jumba told Lilo and Stitch as Carmen sat on Jumba's lap.

An older girl of the same species as Lilo walked into the room. "Oh? Is this another new experiment?"

"Hola! Me nombre es Carmen, and you are?" Carmen asked.

"Oh, uh…Nani…Jumba, did she just speak Spanish?"

"Yes. She is very, very fluent." Jumba said. "You see-"

"Stop the music, stop the music!" ANOTHER alien ran in. A cycloptic one with yellowish/greenish skin. He was…er…wearing a fake lady's wig and a dress. "Did I hear the sweet sound of the Spanish language? Their culture is FASCINATING! Especially Mardi Gras…"

"We're just glad you know now that you don't have to flash people to get Mardi Gra beads." Lilo added with a tone that suggested the family around her had seen things that were not meant to be seen by mortal eye.

"Jumba, I…I gotta ask a question…ees…ees 601 around?" Carmen asked. "He…he still scares me!"

"601?" Jumba asked.

"Oh, you mean Kixx! That four-armed experiment!" The cycloptic alien spoke. "He teaches kick-boxing lessons!"

"AAA!" Carmen shouted, jumping on Jumba's head. "He's not HERE, in your casa, ees he? He's Peligroso, abusivo!"

"What?" Lilo asked.

"Oh, oh, I know those words!" The alien said.

"Well enlighten us, Pleakley." Nani said.

"She said that he's dangerous and abusive." Pleakley said. "I take it he's an…old flame?"

"…" Carmen blinked slowly, then hopped down next to Jumba. She hugged him slightly. "He used to be so sweet to me…but then he got meaner and meaner and finally he-"

"Oh!" Lilo gasped. "That's awful! We gotta get him to apologize!"

"No, no existe, no me llevan a él! Por favor!" Carmen begged.

"Uh, I think she said, "No, no, don't take me to him"…" Pleakley told them all.

"We could tell, thanks." Jumba grumbled. "Is not that hard to figure out…"

"Cousin…" Stitch said. Then he spoke to her in Galactic. "You should know…he's changed. Me and Lilo helped him change. It's what we do."

"W-what?"

"Is true." Jumba said. "Little girl and 626 rehabilitate evil experiments I have made and turn them good."

Carmen looked at Lilo. "You…you managed to…to make him good?" She said. "I…I don't know how I'm gonna thank you, Niña!" She jumped off the couch and hugged her. "Oh, muchas, MUCHAS gracias, Lilo…I was so scared I'd have to face hees temper again…"

"Well, we also find you and your fellow cousin's one true places." Lilo said, hugging Carmen back. "What can you do?"

"Heh-heh." Jumba chuckled. "Experiment 123 is designed to make people dance until dropping thanks to infectious songs she sings. Usually her Latin beats get a party going quite well! Sometimes they dance so hard they dropped DEAD, HA-HA-HA-HA!"

He was suddenly aware that he had stood up on the couch, had held his clenched fists up to the sky and had thrown his head back to do an extremely evil laugh.

"Jumba…off the sofa." Nani said. "Remember what I told you about doing your evil laughs?"

"…yes. "Not on sofa". Of course, big girl…"

Carmen laughed. "Ha-ha-ha! Choo don't change much, babe!"

"So she's a Latin dancer, huh?" Lilo said. "Well, I know that you always would have a home at the dance hall in town!"

Carmen suddenly gulped. "I…I can't dance, I'm…I'm afraid if I did it, I…I might end up hurting somebody again. I don't wanna be that person I was no more, Niña."

"Don't worry." Lilo said. "We'll just teach you how to dance all over again! And how to keep from going overboard!"

"To the hovercar!" Stitch proclaimed.

"Oh no! JUMBA is driving!" Jumba said.

"Hey, hold on! **I** can drive!" Pleakley said.

"Please…don't say that." Nani said. "I CRIED over the wreckage of my old car."

"Ih. Nice car too." Stitch agreed.

Carmen soon found herself seated in a snazzy little red hovercar while Jumba drove them to the town dance hall. They all wanted to know about Carmen's life. But she was quiet the whole time. She didn't have it in her to give tghem honest answers. Then she saw they were at the dance hall.

It was a triangular-topped building with many green leafy hangings that Carmen hadn't ever seen before. The brown doors led them inside to a large hall with various tapestries placed up on the building's walls. She'd never seen such pretty things before. They had so many wonderful designs and colors on them that she couldn't help but reach up to brush them.

"Woah-woah-woah!" Lilo said. "Careful, careful! That stuff's very old!"

"Oh. Okay." Carmen said, nodding. "So…er…how are you going to teach me exactly?"

"Well, why don't you show us what you've got and we'll go from there!" Lilo said.

Carmen sighed. "Well, I'll try…" Carmen said.

"We just need to teach you self-control. Stitch used to have that problem too, but we fixed that." Lilo said.

Carmen looked at them all, then nodded. "Okay, let's see…"

Suddenly she had an idea on what to sing. She raised her hand and began to sing, tapping her foot.

"You spin me inside-outside, and then you hold me so tight!  
We'll dance and party all night, Mambo, Mambole!  
So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right!  
We'll dance party all night, Mambo, Mambole!"

She spun around and then snapped her fingers in tune to the beat as the rhythm worked its way into the room through her.

_You're on my mind every day you are with me…  
And every night boy you dance in my dreams!  
We dance united, together we are one…  
I'll take you there baby come, go with me!_

You spin me inside-outside, and then you hold me so tight!  
We'll dance and party all night, Mambo, Mambole!  
So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right!  
We'll dance party all night, Mambo, Mambole!

Lilo began clapping to the beat. "You're GREAT! Oh, wait, hold on, we gotta get a grip guys…guys?"

Everyone else was already dancing away. Oh dear…

_I feel in love with your voice and your laughter…  
And just one smile, oh it makes me believe!  
My destiny's curious if you are mine…  
Oh won't you tell me we're meant to be!_

You spin me inside-outside, and then you hold me so tight!  
We'll dance and party all night, Mambo, Mambole!  
So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right!  
We'll dance party all night, Mambo, Mambole!

Lilo walked over to Carmen, who had her eyes closed and was still singing and dancing. She was lost in the song, and Lilo was falling under it's spell too. She had to act fast, but she kept dancing off to the side, never really reaching Carmen!

Lilo realized there was one way, one way she could throw Carmen off. She suddenly burst out into song, surprising everyone.

_You spin me inside-outside, and then you hold me so tight!  
We'll dance and party all night, Mambo, Mambole!  
So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right!  
We'll dance party all night, Mambo, Mambole!_

Carmen blinked…and then grinned. She walked over to Lilo and high-fived her. The two shook hands, and then began to sing and dance together.

_You spin me inside-outside, and then you hold me so tight!  
We'll dance and party all night, Mambo, Mambole!  
So kiss me in the moonlight, you know it always feels right!  
We'll dance party all night, Mambo, Mambole!_

The two finished up the song together, and everyone else began cheering and laughing happily.

"That was AMAZING!" Nani said.

"I shook my groove thing, and it felt GOOD!" Pleakley admitted.

"Cousin really good!" Stitch said proudly.

"Appears that if another person syncs with 123's singing, the dancing effect can keep from going out of control…" Jumba said. "You need to find yourself a partner!"

Carmen rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I suppose, but…where could I find somebody who's gonna help me?"

"There are lots of experiments on this island. The ones who can perform really well in theater and stuff are usually hanging around the luau. How would you like Stitch and I to take you there?" Lilo asked.

Carmen beamed. "Ooh, I'd like that mucho, mucho much!"

Once at the luau, she quickly was introduced to several other experiments like Flame, an experiment with volcano-like spouts on his head, Spotlight, a monkey-like experiment that could tap-dance well, Splodyhead, an experiment that could launch fireballs, and several of her old friends were hanging at the luau for fun, like…

"149! 221! 251! 228! Que Pasa, babes?"

They all waved as she approached their table. "We all got names now, Carmen!" 149 said. "Like you do! I'm "Bonnie". That's the name of a famous robber!"

"It's a nice name too! And I've got the name Sparky." 221 said. "It suitzzz me, heh-heh-heh! Great to see you, Carmen."

"And I'm Melty now." 228 said. "It's nice to see you again, Carmen. We were worried about you."

"And the name's Link." 251 told Carmen. "Thanks to Lilo, we've all found our one true place…well, except for Bonnie. But we all think her one true place is in jail with Clyde, number 150-"

"HEY!" Bonnie stood up in her chair, throwing some ice cream at Link, who ducked. "I'll clean ya clock if ya don't shut it!"

"So Carmen, you probably wanna catch up with your fellow cousins." Lilo said. "So we'll come back at lunch! What do you want us to bring you?"

"Eh…maybe some quesadillas? They would be nice. Cheese and chicken, if you can find them."

"Ih. Naga problem." Stitch said.

As soon as the two had left, Carmen got up on the stage and twirled around slightly. "Ooh, Este se siente tan asombroso! Es como un sueño ...and I never wanna wake up at all!"

"Well, did you show off your skill to Lilo?" Sparky asked. "Did it…shock her? Heh-heh-heh."

"Er, I…I did…I need to have a partner, that's all. If somebody is singing with me, I won't have to worry…though I don't know what girl would want to be my partner…"

"Why does it have to be a girl?"

Carmen narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Sparky, no offense, but you gotta understand…I've been burned too often…I don't know if I can trust NO man anymore…"

"We're not all like that…and certainly not anymore!" Sparky insisted.

"You just need to find that one special person who you can trust!" Melty said.

Carmen suddenly laughed harshly. "TRUST? How can I trust after what I've learned from the sanganos I've been with!"

Bonnie blinked. "Well…what have you learned?"

Carmen clapped her hands, and she felt the song flow through her once more.

"One pair of arms is like another  
I don't know why or who's to blame…"

She pointed directly, almost poisonously at Sparky.

"I'll go with you or with your brother  
It's all the same, it's all the **same!**"

She cackled, and then snapped her fingers. The torches were all lit up around her as she walked off the stage slowly.

"This I have learned:  
That when the light's out,  
No man will bum…with special flame!"

Melty gulped as she got up to his face and grinned wryly, evilly.

"You'll prove to me before the night's out,  
You're all the same, you're all the **same**."

She twirled away, back onto the stage.

"So do not talk…to me…of love,  
I'm not a fool with starry eyes!  
Just put your money in my hand,  
And you will get what money buys!"

Bonnie sighed. "Carmen…"

The fiery Latina experiment stomped on the ground, growing tearful.

"And when I am DEAD...  
"No man will miss me, for life's a cruel…and dirty game!  
So you can CURSE…or you can KISS me!  
It's all the same, it's all the same!"

"Carmen, calm down!" Sparky begged. But Carmen suddenly snapped her eyes open, snarling.

"One pair of arms is like another  
It's all the same…IT'S…ALL…THE…**SAAAAAAMMMMEEEE!**"

She walked off, heading for town. "I need to find somewhere more private to live." She said. And just as she made a turn, she encountered Lilo and Stitch emerging from a restaurant.

"Oh! Carmen! The Mexican restaurant got closed down for health reasons…"

"Ih. Meega sota." Stitch said sadly.

Carmen sighed. "That's okay, babe, I know I can trust YOU…say…is this place looking for an entertainer?"

Lilo blinked. "You know, Sinker was just asking if we knew any experiment who was looking for a job as an entertainer…"

"Sinker?"

"Experiment 602. He was designed to sink enemy ships, but now he cuts up ingredients to make sushi at this restaurant!"

"So…there's a place for me in his restaurant?" Carmen asked.

"You bet!" Lilo said. "Why don't you go on in and introduce yourself? Come on, we'll help you with the job interview…"

And with that, Carmen's eyes widened, snapping out of her own dreamy state. Tenn smiled as she helped Carmen out of her chair. "Your "novio" wants to see you" she said, gesturing at Chopsuey…

Whom she clung to tightly and did not let go of.


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

_There's an old excuse that's used time and time again to justify cruelty…terrible cruelty._

_"I was only following orders."_

_This is a cop out. There is ALWAYS choice. ALWAYS._

_So how does one react when the choice is given?_

"I beg of you, have mercy…" Gizmo pleaded.

He had been tied to a wall in a warehouse, sweat pouring down his thick brow. The clone of Jumby, the "Mini-Me" to Jumba's "Dr. Evil", he was frightened out of his mind, his pudgy thick fingers twitching with fear as Draco Heartwing calmly skinned an apple in front of him with his knife. Much of his body had become mechanical due to a shark attack...he'd been dumped in shark-infested waters and had BARELY managed to get to safety in time to be healed.

"Why should I?" The Chariot of the Major Arcana asked softly. "You sold out hundreds of people. Their private histories laid bare for Jack and his killers to see. And you have the balls to beg for mercy?"

"I was just…it was just a JOB…I was only doing what they paid me!" Gizmo insisted. "And besides, I'm a scientist, this was going to be a legitimate study-"

THLUCK!

The knife stuck into his shoulder and he screamed as Draco stood up. "No." He snarled. "You…do…NOT use science to justify what you have done. In the interests of science the most HORRIFIC of tests have been done on Tuskegee Airmen, the Jews in Holocaust Camps, the most abominable of animal testing…even JUMBA used science as an excuse for some of the crueler tests he did on his "children"."

"I know you are only the human side of 421, but if there is even a FRACTION of him left in you, I beg of you…have mercy…" Gizmo sobbed. "I saved Daveigh's life before…and I paid for endangering her when those sharks ate away most of my body…"

Draco took the knife out of Gizmo's shoulder and held it to his chest. His eyes peered in deeply…

_"Please…" _

"…I am showing you something science almost never shows. COMPASSION." He placed the knife back into a small sheathe. "Staccato will pick you up and take you to jail. In the meantime…let's talk. The Corporation. The one who's been producing the Hypercortisone X Jack's using…"

Draco held Gizmo's chubby head and his eyes peered in deep, accusing. "WHERE…ARE…THEY…LOCATED?"

…

…

…

…Chopsuey was dreaming, just as Carmen and Page were. Dreaming back to an ooooold mission.

"No, I love YOU so much. No I love **YOU** so much! Oh my Gawd I DO!"

"Hey! Dungeons and Douchebags! You're up!"

"I'll call you right back baby, okay?"

"Ugh…"

Three men were on "guard duty" in the jungles of the densely-forested planet of Florana. Specifically, at an eco-power station which was situated at the center of this particular jungle. The eco-power station drew energy from within their planet and directly centered it towards the cities far outside the jungle, who then recycled that energy in their daily activities. The "Lifestream" as they called it, was not merely a force of nature but of themselves, for when a person died, they returned to the Lifestream to be reborn later as something else…

Right now, one would imagine that the red-haired young man at the phone had been a GIRL in his past life. He wore a simple white shirt and white pants with a snazzy belt, but with very plain brown shoes. Only his voice betrayed a peppy, happy little boy hiding behind those deep blue/black eyes.

His two compatriots were a short, squat man with stringy hair and a bad mustache, and a guy who had used so much hair gel on his hair that the gel was dripping down the back of his neck and onto his shirt. "Can you believe the kid? He's been on the phone with his girl for THIS LONG? That ol' lady better have a big pair of **tits** to be worth wasting out pool game." He mumbled.

"Dude, I don't blame him, there ain't no other girls around here. What else is he supposed to jack off too if he can't remember his girl's-"

"Okay, g'bye!" The red-head said happily, turning off the phone and turning to the others. "Well, let's play!" He laughed.

"Indeed." A voice called out from the vent shaft above.

The red-haired kid was lucky enough to be far enough away from the pool table and close enough to the door because IT burst out of the vent shaft a moment later. It was mammalian in design and you could have mistaken it for an alien koala. He was green in color, with white stomach and chest fur, and a white Mohawk on his head. He also had two prominent fangs jutting out from his lower jaw, was a bit skinny. He had large ears, a black pair of eyes, a big nose and sharp black claws, as well as having four arms. Both sets of arms were folded in front of him as he looked the men over.

"Hello." He spoke calmly. "I'm experiment 621. Thought you deserved to know that right before you die."

He lashed out then with both sets of arms and his claws found their chests and neck respectively, ripping out the heart and their spinal cord in one quick motion. The men collapsed to the ground, VERY, VERY dead while 621 tossed the spinal cords away and snacked on the hearts.

The other guy had RUN out the door and was making his way towards the jungle when 621 leapt in front of him, raising up one clawed paw. "Stop it, don't insult me. If you try to run, I'll just track you down. If you hold STILL, I can make this as quick as possible." He added, flexing his claws.

_"Please don't kill me."_ The kid squeaked out.

"And why should I let you go?" 621 inquired, wiping his mouth free of blood and raising a non-existent eyebrow. "You've seen me. My mission is to make my way through this jungle and to the city. Unfortunately the city has a no-teleportation shield around it, so I couldn't complete the assassination just by beaming into his HOUSE…" He frowned. "The only place the teleporter could reach that was "safe" to beam down to was here."

"EXACTLY!" The kid said. "This jungle's NOT safe, there's wild animals and beasts of all kinds…"

"I'm scarier than anything you'll see in this forest." 621 said, showing off his fangs.

"And man-eating plants and quicksand and-"

"Quicksand?" 621 frowned. That was something he'd only HEARD about. He hadn't actually trained for quicksand. "…that IS a bit of a problem. Hmm." He rubbed his chin. "…you know the way around this jungle, do you not?" He asked calmly.

"Y-yeah." The kid said.

"I'll make you a deal. I won't try to kill you until you get me out of this jungle. The longer you stay alive, the better, right?" 621 reasoned. "You'll die either way."

The kid nervously shivered, but he nodded. "I'll guide you through the jungle." He said quietly, hanging his head in resignation.

"Good boy." 621 said. "Don't worry, I can be very merciful when I want to be. A simple snap of your neck is all it will take." He told the kid in a calm tone.

…

…

…

…the leaves of the jungle were bigger than cats, and almost as thick. Vines snaked up and down the shafts of the trees as the canopy above them blotted out most of the sun's rays. It was hard to tell where they were going, mostly because one, there was no clear "path" and two, it was getting darker and darker out, nearing sunset.

The kid had a sneaking suspicion that he couldn't out-last this thing. If he kept them wandering around in the jungle, eventually the thing would simply EAT him. He had to find a way to make sure that this "experiment 621" was lost amidst the dense jungle…he had to get rid of him SOMEHOW…

He pushed aside a large web and ducked underneath a long branch as 621 followed behind him. "Why exactly are you here on Florana anyhow?" The kid inquired.

"Well, since I'm going to kill you anyway, I suppose telling you won't hurt." 621 remarked. "My father has sent me on an assassination mission to get rid of a certain fink who's been trying to get the organization he works for destroyed. The undercover cop and his family live on Florana…"

"Are you going to kill his family too?" The kid asked quietly.

"I'll have to kill anybody who interferes too badly with my plan." The green thing went on. "But at the moment, my own "targets" are you, because you know too much about me, and Mr. Hagor."

"Mr. HAGOR?" The kid gaped. "He's chief of police! I was invited to his wedding! His son and daughter are only two years old…you'd murder toddlers?"

621 was oddly quiet then. "Well, I doubt a child at his age would remember anything." He finally said. "So I could leave them alive."

"I can't believe you'd even consider murdering them." The kid mumbled.

He was suddenly knocked face down to the mossy growth beneath his feet as one claw was placed on his neck. "Be quiet." 621 hissed. "Don't you DARE judge me. I will do this for my father. I will do ANYTHING for him." He went on. "I am his greatest creation yet and I shall not dishonor him by failing. Anything else is secondary to the mission, **morality** included."

He then got off the kid, who held his neck. Some blood oozed down, making him shiver. "Now keep moving." 621 demanded.

…

…

…

…they'd been walking for two hours and it was getting very dark out. Resting against a large tree, the kid slid down the trunk and sat on a thick root as 621 sat on a stump nearby. They could hear hooting and calls from strange birds far off in the distance, and there were so many clouds in the sky that there was little, if any, light to illuminate the folds of the jungle below.

"We gotta set up camp for the night." The kid insisted.

621 calmly lay on his side, head propped up by his fist as he looked the kid over. "Oh, by all means, go ahead and sleep." He said gently. "I'll watch over you."

"How do I know you won't try and kill me?" The kid asked quietly as he took up a set of sticks. He placed a ring of small stones in between them and began to start up a fire, using leaves and smaller sticks as kindling.

"I said I was going to kill you AFTER you led me out of the jungle. I _always_ keep my word." 621 insisted, placing one clawed hand on his chest. Even now, though he was speaking calmly about slaying the kid, there was no malice in his tone.

"…" The kid was silent as the fire rose up, providing him with some much-needed warmth. He didn't honestly TRUST 621, but he had no choice. Curling up as best he could to sleep, he rested his head against the tree and allowed the crackle of the fire's flames to lull him into rest as 621's black eyes gazed at him from across the fire.

…

…

…

… "Wake up, young one."

"Uhmmm…"

"Wake up."

The kid awoke to 621's soft touch and he looked up to see he was holding up a slice of roasted meat. "I caught us breakfast." He said in a chipper tone, jabbing a thumb at a brown-skinned alien monkey with a large eye and webbed hands and feet. It was turning golden brown as it cooked over the flame.

"Ugh…" The kid rubbed his head as he took the meat he was offered. 621 went back to the monkey-on-a-spit and carefully cut the eye out with his claw, sucking on it and drinking the juices. "What time is it?"

"9. I let you sleep in a bit." 621 remarked as he finished up the eye and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it whole. "Ah, Rhysuh Apes are quite the delicacy back home."

The kid chewed the Rhysuh meat over. It was tangy, but robust. A nice subtle aftertaste of…citrus?

He blinked as he saw 621 was squeezing an pink fruit over the rest of the monkey, then took the roasted meat of the spit and swallowed the whole thing with a loud GULP. "Ahhh." He burped. "That felt good."

"You're gonna get indigestion from eating all that." The kid remarked.

"Concerned over MY health? That's sweet." 621 laughed a little. "But it's time to get moving again."

The kid stood back up and once more began to lead the way. "Oh, for the record…I don't get indigestion." 621 spoke up.

"Ha-ha…" The kid remarked as he turned around and glared at 621. "I'd bet you'd like to eat ME."

"I could." 621 admitted, shrugging. "But unfortunately for you, my stomach acids are quite…unpleasant." He added calmly. "You wouldn't find any mercy in that death."

He then blinked. "Hmm. That's interesting."

"What?" The kid turned around to see-

GLOMP!

A long vine had snaked around his chest and he fell to the ground, trying to hold onto a nearby tree root as a bulb-shaped plant pulled him closer and closer. The leaves of the bulb opened up, revealing sharp fangs and a hungry pit that yearned for flesh. The kid was slowly losing his grip on the root of the tree and he turned to look at 621, who was looking at the scene with interest.

"Help…PLEASE…" The kid begged.

"Hmm, I don't know." 621 remarked calmly. "I mean, I could PROBABLY find my own way to the city without your help. This would be an easy way to dispose of you without getting my own paws dirty."

The kid lost a hold of the root and was beginning to be slowly dragged towards the plant's maw, which opened wider and wider and began to drool and HISS. The kid screamed in horror…

SLICE!

The plant was neatly sliced in two, the vine letting go of the kid. Experiment 621 proceeded to slice up the plant into little tiny pieces as the kid stood back up.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked.

"Because you're going to die by MY claws." He said simply. "I am not going to kill you nor allow you to BE killed until we get outside the jungle…and as I said before, I **ALWAYS** keep my word." He explained. "Now let's continue moving…"

…

…

…

… "A river." 621 commented quietly. "…**lovely.**" He hissed.

They'd reached a large river. It was all that was keeping 621 from the plains that led straight to the city, who's towers gleamed off in the distance. 621 frowned and folded his arms. "Damn it! DAMN IT!"

"What's wrong?" The kid asked.

"I can't swim, that's what is wrong." He muttered hatefully. "I'll sink like a stone."

The kid rubbed the side of his head, scratching his red hair. "Uh…well…I don't know how deep it is, but…if you stood on my shoulders and such, I think it would be simple to carry you."

621 looked him over. He scratched his chest, and thought about this prospect, then nodded. "Very well, I'll hold onto you. But if you TRY anything, I DO plan on taking you with me."

"I won't." The kid promised, raising his hand.

The kid then knelt down so 621 could climb up his back and cling to his head and neck. Carefully, the kid approached the churning river and stepped into it, going deeper and deeper. Soon he was waist deep in the chilling water and he shivered, wrapping his arms around himself as the roar of the river filled his eardrums.

"You think you've got it bad? I've got VERY sensitive hearing." 621 chuckled. "Now keep moving, young one." He said, patting the kid's head.

The kid continued to walk forward…

And STUMBLED.

Chopsuey inwardly cringed as a dark fear filled him. The fear of drowning was still present in his soul…he watched as his past self flailed around in the river, desperately trying to stay afloat…he felt the water enter his past self's lungs as if it were his OWN lungs and he screamed as he clawed at his throat.

Drowning is a peaceful way to die. Warm and comforting…like being in the arms of a caring lover, or perhaps an angel wrapping it's wings around you, singing you sweetly to your final rest. There are even stories of drowning victims who refuse to be rescued, slapping their would-be saviors way, not willing to let go off that beautiful embrace.

Yes, drowning is a merciful way to die…

Unless, of course, you can't get past that initial panic…

And Chops couldn't.

_"NO, NO, NOOOO! I don't wanna die, I don't wanna DIE!"_ His past self howled inside of his head. _"FATHER-"_

And that was it. Suddenly Chopsuey's mind took over. He remembered his family…his father, his…brother…Stitch…626. And the memory re-righted itself. Now 621 was no longer drowning, but was having air brought back into his lungs as the kid gave him CPR.

He coughed and spluttered as he turned on his side, slowly rising back up. "Wh-why did…GACK…why did you do that? Why not let me drown?"

"You saved MY life." The kid said. "It would have been wrong to not return the favor."

621's Mohawk was soaked, and the water dripped down from it as it lay flat and spread out against his head. Droplets of water slowly fell down from his body as he looked into the kid's deep eyes.

Then he sighed and shook all the water off, "poofing up" in the process. Making his fur settle by pushing it down, 621 calmly walked towards the city.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" The kid asked.

"I said I won't TRY to kill you."

He then rushed through the air and the kid ducked down, covering his head and quivering…

He slowly opened his eyes to see 621 had deliberately stabbed the ground right in front of him. 621 smiled, then turned around and shrugged. "Oh well, I TRIED. Goodbye kid." He said, waving.

"My name is Zack!" The kid spoke up, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"I'll remember it." 621 laughed.

It was then that Chopsuey's eyes snapped open. But he did not find himself in the laboratory. He was being visited by somebody else…by them…

His brother. Stitch. And his old flame, Angel.

"Hello, Chops." Stitch said gently. "How are you?"

"Hey Stitch." Chopsuey said, folding his arms. "You're dead, you know."

"It does seem to happen sometimes. You're almost dead yourself, that's why you can see us." Angel remarked, shrugging. "Your mind has been fighting against the Nightmare Generator and your body is paying the price."

"Abso-frickin-lovley." Chops mumbled. "What did you come here to do? Gloat? Rub it in my face, Stitch, on how I'm going to join you? Is Carmen dying too?"

"I don't gloat like that anymore, Chopsuey, you're family and I have more respect for you than that."

"You didn't GIVE me much respect when we were first made!" Chopsuey growled, his astral form growing bigger and towering over Stitch, now taking the guise of his "Mutant" form. "You would go into my room! You would show me up in front of all the girls! You stole Jumba's attention away from me!"

"The VERY FIRST THING you did to me…THE VERY FIRST TIME WE MET…" Stitch growled angrily, paws clenching. "Was SNEER at me, then punch me in the face!" Stitch snapped. "I think it was within REASON for me to be angry with you considering you tried to make Jumba think that I wouldn't stay loyal to him!"

"You used your strength to one-up me at EVERYTHING I did!" Chopsuey growled. "You were stronger than I was so you always had to beat me at every training exercise!"

"Just like YOU used your devious mind to outdo ME in the mental exercises AND sabotage MY exercises when the time came for ME to perform for Jumba!" Stitch snarled.

**"YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!"** Chopsuey screamed, slamming his fist into the "ground" just to the right of Stitch.

Stitch blinked as Chopsuey's astral form slowly shrank back to his normal size. He was quivering with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "You BEAT me in that fight…and then you left me…and your FATHER…at the mercy of that STUPID FISH." He growled. "He couldn't HARM Jumba that hard or the Galactic Federation would have been on his tail. But he was free to harm me…he **tortured** me, Stitch…" He snarled. "Tried to get me to spill EVERYTHING about Jumba, gain PROOF that I was a creation of his. But I didn't sell out. I stayed loyal even though he dehydrated me slowly back into a pod! And he STILL…"

Chopsuey then sank to his knees and covered his eyes, sobbing. "My father STILL loved you…more than he loved me. He just POCKETED my pod when you got him set free and he never rehydrated me…I was forgotten…and he loved you more than me. I died for him and he didn't even care."

"He may not have. But he wasn't kind to me either, Chopsuey." Stitch spoke gently.

Chopsuey's eyes widened as he looked up.

"I never actually told you what happened after I landed on Earth, did I?" Stitch asked. "I only told you that I had found Lilo and she had turned me good. You didn't know the specifics." He sighed. "I think it's time I told you."

Angel's astral form manifested a pair of folding chairs and she and Stitch's astral form sat down in them. Chopsuey manifested his own chair and he faced the two of them, tears still fresh on his cheeks. "It starts off with me getting run over by a truck…" Stitch began.

…

…

…

… "And that's the story." Stitch finished. "I had only wanted a family and he was willing to take me apart. It was only because of Lilo that things turned out the way they did. If she hadn't been there…" He hung his head. "I know that we never really…talked much about our relationship as brothers. I mean, we'd joke and laugh, but that's ALL we'd do, we really just buried our inner rivalries…and we didn't bury them deep enough. We would still try to outperform each other, remember?"

"Yeah." Chopsuey admitted. "Like at Scotch-tober-fest." He laughed. "I didn't think you could down that much beer. Or rather, I didn't think you could puke back UP that much beer."

"That was one for you-see?" Stitch spread his paws out. "I can't really stop! But we needed to have this talk, don't you think?"

"And for the record, I want you to know I'm grateful for what you did for ME back in the lab." Angel said quietly. "Before you I loved casually or not at all…you helped me understand real love." She added.

"…it wasn't…all bad, was it?" Chopsuey asked her.

"No…no, it wasn't." Angel said, placing her paw on his cheek. "We had some really good times." She insisted. "You played on your guitar while I got drunk and danced straight into the bushes and we laughed and laughed."

They chuckled at this memory.

"I'm gonna miss you." Chopsuey said. "First me and Carmen died, but we came back. And now…you've died. Am I ever gonna see you again?"

Stitch smiled. "Maybe you will." He told his brother. "Maybe you will."

…

…

…

…Rupert was not having good dreams either.

He was watching his own past unfold…specifically, when he had taken over the Galactic Federation with Leroy, 627 (who had taken the name E-Vile) and Gantu helping him. He now stood atop his throne, QUITE pleased with himself. Lilo pointed angrily at him, eyes narrowed. "You won't win! It'll never work, Stitch'll stop you!" She told him.

Hamsterviel tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, Stitch, Sti-ohhh, you mean that poor weakling 626?"

"His name is STITCH!" Lilo shouted, stamping her foot.

Hamsterviel blinked slowly. "You have nerve. Not bad. But…heh…your little blue friend has been sent tumbling to his doom in a black hole!"

Lilo took in a harsh breath. "Is THAT the Stitch you are referring to?" He asked, laughing.

Rueben comfortingly put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay." He told her. "Somehow." Lilo blinked back tears.

"A Black hole? You're lying! You _have_ to be!"

Hamsterviel shook his head. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not the kind of person who lies, especially to little kids. Oh don't worry…" He told her softly. "He has plenty of company. That idiot scientist and one-eyed noodly thing went in with him."

Rueben gasped. "Jumba?"

"And Pleakley?" Lilo exclaimed, hands flying to her mouth in disbelief. "You couldn't have!"

Hamsterviel shook his head slowly, a hint of regret creeping into his voice. "I can. And I did. Leroy easily beat your little Stitch, and then we stuffed him and your other two friends into a van that's now en route to the Xenon black hole. You really shouldn't even be here." He sighed. "I told Jumba I wouldn't hurt his little _ohana_. I made a promise. You shouldn't have come. I didn't want to have to get _you_ involved, you're just a little girl, and I've been thinking that perhaps I shouldn't have tried to harm you before."

Lilo tried to think of something else. "Well, then…one of Jumba's other experiments like Scratch or Heartwing will…" She began.

"Other experiments like THEM?" Hamsterviel asked calmly, pointing behind her. Lilo looked and saw all of her friends she'd brought with her unconscious and tied up, surrounded by 5 Leroy clones, all of whom regarded Lilo with a cruel eye.

E-Vile saw 621 and 561 unconscious and immediately took in a harsh breath.

Lilo turned angrily at Hamsterviel. "Then _Nick_ will…"

"He's not here." Hamsterviel told her simply. "He was **so** worried about you he left. He just **had** to say goodbye, so he hitched a ride with some trucker. According to the scanners of this facility, your dear boyfriend is on his way to Earth right now, he's light years away! By the time he realizes his mistake, it shall be too late." He looked down directly at Lilo. "You'll be out of the way, and the rest of Stitch's "cousins" will be eliminated."

"What are you talking about?" Rueben demanded to know. "My cousins aren't ALL here! Most are still back on Earth!"

Hamsterviel nodded, grinning nastily. "Yes…with the original Leroy."

Beep-beep! A holographic vid-screen popped up. The Grand Councilwoman, now Grand Secretary, appeared. "Incoming message from a Mr. Leroy." She announced, her face haggard.

"Put him through, put him throoouugh!" Hamsterviel demanded. The Grand Secretary groaned and did so. Leroy's mug appeared as he stood there, a look of smug satisfaction on his face as he clacked each set of claws against each other.

"So, what is the progress?" Hamsterviel asked.

Leroy grinned. "Nagata queesta! Negata noqueebi mo-"

"Talk BASIC!" Hamsterviel shouted. "Jeez, you're talking too fast, darn it."

"You're no fun. Fine, fine. All experiments on the island have been…" Leroy grinned evilly. **CAPTURED**

Hamsterviel grinned and rubbed his hands. "Excellent! I am on my way!"

"Oh, before you come over here, I will need a little security to make sure that they don't try to band together and escape. I'll need some clones." Leroy asked, in an "afterthought" tone.

Hamsterviel nodded. "Very well. How many do you think shall suffice?"

Leroy tapped his lip thoughtfully. "Oh, I'd say…100."

Hamsterviel's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he shrugged. "Done. You! Clones! Round up 95 more of you and head over to the loading docks. Take one of the BIG ships, try not to scratch the paint…and hurry it up, ASAP!" The clones nodded and carried the unconscious experiments away.

Hamsterviel then turned and gave Gantu a condescending look. "See? It took Leroy some paltry few hours to catch them all where it took you about 3 years to _fail_! What is WRONG with you?"

"Well I have a bad knee…" Gantu complained.

"No-no-no-no-no!" Hamsterviel shouted, jumping up and down. "That was another rhetorical question, you don't-answer-it! Now will you get me down from this chair!"

Gantu rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Um…was THAT a rhetorical question?"

Hamsterviel clenched both his fists, bit his lip and suppressed a huge scream. "One…two…three…four…five…nope. Still mad. **GET ME DOWN YOU STUPID IDIOT!**" He snarled. Gantu immediately carried Hamsterviel down to the ground. The evil rodent then turned to look at Rueben and Lilo.

"What shall we do with the girl and 625?" Gantu asked.

"His name is RUEBEN!" Lilo shouted, stamping her foot.

"Yeah, Rueben!" Rueben agreed.

Hamsterviel rubbed his chin. "Fitting name. Not bad."

"It is nice." Gantu agreed.

E-Vile nodded as well. "Yeah, not too bad. Hmm…maybe I should get a better name. Something that screams "Tough-Guy" and "Bad-Ass"…"

"Watch your mouth!" Gantu said.

627 covered his mouth quickly. "Oops! Sorry-hey wait, why should I care? I'm the bad guy!"

The white alien rodent crossed his arms, thinking. "In any case, what SHOULD I do with you? I did promise Jumba not to hurt you…"

"Oh, about that uh…promise…" Leroy suddenly interjected. "That uh, that red-head who once made you a pet? Myrtle, I think. Yeah, she uh…got in the way. She and the two other red-heads."

Hamsterviel turned and gave Leroy a furious look. "What? I told you not to harm them!"

"I didn't! None of them are harmed. I just captured them." Leroy lied, and then he blew fake dust off of his hands, flexing his claws in the air. "They're with the other experiments at Aloha stadium, right in Kokaua Town." He leisurely told them.

Hamsterviel put his hands on his hips. His voice became dangerously soft. "I gave you strict instructions not to hurt any members of Jumba's family he gained on Earth! If you are disobeying me…"

"I said they're not harmed. They're just…" Leroy grinned. "Tied up at the moment. And as for that girl you've got there, you should just get rid of her." He calmly suggested. "Why not have me come over there? I could use a little snack." He laughed at his own idea. Lilo gasped. Rueben flicked him the bird.

"Foul abomination." Gantu snarled. E-Vile stuck his tongue out.

"Ew. Humans kinda taste like bad Chinese food. I oughta know, I've bitten quite a few…"

Hamsterviel folded his arms. He looked at Lilo and Rueben. His expression was strange, he continued to regard her in some way nobody could comprehend at the moment.

Finally he spoke. "Earlier, when you were captured along with 421, I wanted you eliminated because you had been annoying me for so long…but now there's nothing you can do." Lilo didn't even object. She didn't see anything she could do now. Hamsterviel walked over to her and gently lifted her head, holding her cheek.

Rupert could SEE all this unfolding and he knew this was a nightmare, he was smart enough to understand that this was going to turn cruel. And he was right…a moment later his past self smiled in a frightening fashion and spoke sweetly. "Jumba and I shared MUCH, you know. Now I get to have you around whenever I want you. Take Rueben away to the prison block until I figure out what to do with him. The little girl and I need some alone time."

Gantu and the others left as Hamsterviel walked behind Lilo, then stroked her arm, breathing in the back of her neck. "Mmm…such a sweet smell. And your skin is soft…I can see another reason why 626 is so fond of you. You're such a nice girl." He crooned to her. "You'll make a good toy, I think."

Lilo tried to be brave, Rupert could see the defiance in her eyes. "Let me go." She demanded.

Hamsterviel wrapped his tail around her neck and she gagged as he lowered her down into his arms. "Oh I don't think so. But I think, in time, you'll grow to like this." He said, suddenly giving her a passionate kiss.

Lilo struggled uselessly as he kissed her deeply, tongue violating her mouth before at last he stopped and smiled at her. "Yes, you WILL make a good toy. But don't worry, I'll make sure you enjoy this as much as possible."

He began to tear her clothes off. Rupert knew what was coming next. "No-no-no!" He gasped. "You can't!" He screamed. "Not her!"

Lilo was pinned down as Hamsterviel stroked her chin. She whimpered fearfully, eyes filled with tears as Hamsterviel laid on top of her naked form.

"You can't do this…" She managed to get out.

"But I **CAN.**." We Murideans have the ability to mate with ANY species. Hush, little girl." He crooned to her. "You will enjoy this if you do not struggle. I'll make this as pleasant as possible for you."

"NO!" Rupert screamed, rushing towards them and diving…but he dove right through them. He was as a ghost. He screamed over and over, paw digits digging into his skull, desperately trying to drown out those screams.

There was only one thing to do to end the illusion and cease this torture of that sweet girl.

He bit his tongue. HARD. And he was rewarded with the taste of salty iron that filled his mouth as blood pooled out…

The nightmare faded away into nothingness as Rupert's vision became dark. He gasped and gagged as he sat in the chair in the real world, the others currently focused on freeing Carmen and Chopsuey, who were to the other side.

_So this is it, _he thought. _It for real. Fine. Let me die…I can't bear to endure seeing that. I'm going to leave my son without a father because I wasn't strong enough to stop Zim and his family before…_

_I hope they can all forgive me. I've done some terrible things…_

It was getting so…cold. It wasn't like when another being killed a Hamsterviel in some other reality, then it was burning hot pain, this…this was being slowly frozen alive. A horrid chill that crept up from his spine, spreading through his form to freeze him inside out. Yes…he had done some terrible things.

_But I'm not a terrible __**person**__…_

Then somebody kissed him on the forehead and he jolted up. He saw his brother…smiling at him.

"Jacques?" He squeaked out.

"I'm proud of you." Jacques told him. "THAT was the real test the Nightmare Generator made. It wanted to see if you would really kill yourself to keep the machine from driving you insane with visions like that…and you were willing to die if it meant keeping your mind." He nodded in approval, grinning. "I am very proud. You've come a loooong way, mon frère."

"I…I liked being a good guy more than I ever admitted to the others." Rupert spoke quietly. "My family's needs come first but…it felt so nice having everyone cheer for me when I was doing heroics. It really did…"

"We didn't have much of a chance to pick our own way in life, not with the parents we had." Jacques admitted. "But now you've made your own way and I'm proud of you for that."

"I'm just sorry you left me TWICE." Rupert spoke quietly. "I mean, I got you back and then…you died again."

"Rupe…Death's kind of funny." Jacques laughed. "And you, of all people…should know that better than anyone else."

But before he could explain…if he ever WOULD…Rupert was being lifted out of the machine and he found himself in his wife's arms. And he hugged her very, very tightly.

MEANWHILE…

Pleakley raised the sword back up. CLANG! It struck the rapier again. The doctor laughed as he kept moving forward, moving Pleakley towards the edge of the roof. "I can keep this up all day thanks to the Hypercortisone X in my bloodstream!" He announced. "The Corporation and I have been developing it just for reasons like this…squishing bugs like you!"

"You're sick." Pleakley announced as he looked at the doctor, seeing the patches of skin that were becoming mottled, the way blood vessels popped out on the human. "It's killing you."

"No, it's killing YOU." Bartok snarled, rushing forward.

Pleakley did a diving roll away and Bartok BARELY managed to stop himself from going over the edge. Snarling, he turned around and held his sword back up. "You WILL die!" He hissed. "You'll pay for trying to slay me! And then…" He smirked. "I think I'll show your dead body to Sari…JUST FOR LAUGHS."

Pleakley got up, clutching the rapier tightly as he looked at Bartok, eye wide with disgusted horror.

"The only reason they let you into the guard was because nobody had the heart to say "No" to you, WENDY!" Bartok laughed. "You've got no skills! You're not clever, endurable or fast or strong…you're weak. You've ALWAYS been weak. A noodle man. And a leopard doesn't change it's spots."

But Pleakley wasn't listening to that. He was picturing the look on Sari's face…that look of awful, sorrowful terror that would be eternally plastered on her visage if she saw Pleakley dead. Bartok rushed forward again, slashing diagonally…

Pleakley caught the blade in his hand. Bartok gasped as the blood pooled down from Pleakley's palm…

And then let out a "THA-BLUUURK" as Pleakley slammed his rapier's point straight into his neck and then sliced outwardly before shoving him back…

And Bartok went clear over the edge of the roof, falling to the ground and landing with a nasty, squelchy THUD. Pleakley could still see him squirming below in his death throes and he stuck his two purple tongues out. "You're a doctor. DEAL with it." He snapped, walking back towards the doorway that would lead down to the building below.

Nobody hurt his family.

NOBODY.


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
**

What do we define as "evil", exactly? Is somebody who associates with the darkness automatically villainous?

Not necessarily. Batman hides within the shadows, emerging to deal swift justice but you wouldn't call him a vigilante or a villain, would you? He doesn't kill people.

Even in one epic story he doesn't have the cruelty within him to finish off the Joker, who just shot innocent people, poisoned boy scouts with cotton candy and killed off his own psychiatrist earlier in the story. The Joker twists his OWN neck, saying "Nobody will ever know you never had the guts to do it" and laughs and laughs…

But is killing somebody really a sign of strength? No. Neither do those that dwell in the dark have to be considered "evil"…

The Major Arcana has FRIENDS in the shadows of the night…

Imagine Draco's surprise when he'd gone to track down Pele and Hiaka and they had RUN…and he'd found GIZMO instead!

He'd learned what he had to from the little fatso and was now dealing with Pele and Hiaka, who had hidden from Junior and had tried to gang up on him.

It had been a decent enough plan and had almost worked!

Key word being "ALMOST".

BANG!

Pele went flying down the staircase and hit the ground below as the Chariot raised his sword to point at her. "C'mon, Pele, you're making this too easy for me!" He announced. "Really, where is your spirit?"

Pele hissed in fury as she held up her hands, burning balls of flame forming into two sharp swords. "I'll cut you up into SAUSAGES, dragoon!" She hissed. "I'm not letting a half-breed dragon knight with delusions of superiority defeat me!"

"And if I fell to somebody as low on the intelligence scale as you, my spirit would never be able to rest." Draco remarked, jumping into the air and slamming his sword down onto HERS.

Meanwhile, Junior jumped left and right as Hiaka launched swirling balls of water that were boiling and swirling…upon impact with the wall, they SHATTERED and created small craters, each of them packed violent force.

Junior swept his scythe, and Hiaka jumped, then launched another ball down at him. He twirled the scythe rapidly, making the water fly apart into specks as Hiaka decided to take a new approach and formed a large trident made of water.

"I'm going to stick you and turn you into Rabbit STEW." She told him, rushing forward and slamming the Trident against his scythe. "You've barely got any experience using this, I can tell!"

"True, true." Junior admitted nervously, being forced back to the edge of the second floor they were fighting on. "BUT…"

WOOP! His prehensile antennae went down and grabbed her legs and he tossed her over his head. "I have YEARS of experience doing THAT!" He told her as she hit the first floor below, moaning as she staggered back up.

"You LITTLE…" She snarled.

"GAAAAH!"

Pele collided with her as Draco calmly re-sheathed his sword. "Hmm. Not bad at all." He said as Pele moaned horridly in her death throes. "TWO MINUTES. I think that might be a new record against a fire-user."

"Why YOU…" Hiaka screamed. "You've killed my family!"

SCHLUCK!

Junior's scythe buried deep into the top of her head and her eyes rolled up as the blood trailed down her face. "You killed **OURS** first!" Junior screamed angrily.

Both their bodies now lay on the ground as Junior quivered with rage. "So…how does it feel? Your first kill. Feel MANLY now?" Draco asked quietly, sadly.

"…I feel sick." Junior moaned at last, covering his mouth and vomiting onto the floor nearby.

The Chariot put his hand on Junior's head and ruffled his hair slightly. "Junior…don't ever kill again. Not if you can prevent it. You're not the sort of person who ought to have the thought of killing present in your life. You…"

He smiled. "You're not a good replacement for Death because somebody like you believes in the sanctity of Life and in upholding all the rights that go WITH it. I've seen your essays in school, you've got a promising future ahead of you."

"But what if…what if Dad…" Junior mumbled, wiping his mouth.

"He's gonna be fine." The Chariot insisted. "Now then…let's get going."

"I took care of Bartok." Pleakley said, carrying Sari in his arms as he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"And Ace and Spectra ran off when they saw that man go SPLAT. I guess they weren't counting on him dying in such a fashion." Staccato added, walking into the house with Darth, Myr and Nacht.

"Really, such a mess. But a fitting fate to one so twisted." Nacht felt. "He had become less and less human with each new metallic addition to his body, his soul becoming as unfeeling as steel."

"They're such cowards." Myr remarked. "Oh. Ew." He noticed Pele and Hiaka's bodies and shook his head. "Honestly…how could they have followed that monster?"

"I don't know why **I** did." Esmeralda said, arms folded across her chest, resting against a wall. They all turned and glared at her as Draco reached for his sword.

"You murderer! How many children are you going to kill before-"

"I had nothing to do with those children's deaths." Esmeralda said, frowning deeply at him. "Those actions of Spectra, my "comrade", shame and disgust me, as they grieve you."

"You don't know ANYTHING about grief." Pleakley said, frowning.

"Look at me." Esmeralda said quietly. "A GOOD look. Do you know when I first became aware of how I looked? Or rather WHAT I looked like?"

They were quiet. Esmeralda went on. "9. I was nine years old. Do you have ANY idea what that did to me, realizing I was always going to look like a…a SUCCUBUS?"

She bit her lip and looked down and to the side, tears brimming in her eyes. "People like me have no right to choose our own destinies, not with appearances like these. We will always have labels that shall follow us to our deaths."

"That's only if you don't ACT on it." Nacht told her, frowning deeply. "You do not HAVE to act like a stereotype simply because of how you look."

"Like that will really change everybody's minds about me." Esmeralda muttered.

"Since when should you care what everybody else always thinks of you?" Myr inquired. "I don't. Look at me. My hair is purple. I wear no shirt. Tomorrow is Saturday so I'm supposed to stay home and that's what I'm going to do, even if Godzilla himself was outside causing trouble I'd adhere to my Religion and people have called me weird for that. Called me weird for how I look. Called me CRAZY too. I don't care. I rise above those labels with my actions. You can too."

Esmeralda was silent for a long time.

"…there is only one way I can find forgiveness…" She said, looking down at Draco. "Father…"

She leapt off the wall and barreled at him. **"FIGHT ME NOW!"**

…

…

…

…they had gotten the last helm of the Nightmare Generator off, and Nightwing shook his head, mumbling under his breath as he stretched a little, spreading his wings out wide.

"What did it show YOU?" Rupert inquired.

Nightwing looked down at his golden claws and shrugged. "Nothing really that shocking." He said. "I found it very interesting. Didn't bother me as much as it obviously bothered you."

"I wasn't…BOTHERED." Rupert muttered.

"I'm a dark energy emitter, negative emotions like fear, anger, sorrow…those are plain for me to see, and you've got them lingering all around you like moths around a lamp, my dear doctor." Nightwing told him calmly, raising a single claw.

Ariel rolled her eyes and then gave them sign language symbols. Two letters…BS.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Nightwing asked her angrily, pinning her to the wall, dark eyes narrowing.

Skoodge grabbed a nearby notepad and a pencil and handed it to Ariel, who wrote down something as Nightwing let her go and read it out loud to be considerate to the others. "I can read body language very well and by the momentary nervous curling of your tail, I saw you were lying when you told us nothing bothered you."

He frowned deeply. "…fine. I'll tell you what I saw."

…

…

…

… "You know, many times in life…" Nightwing told the fat crime boss, his thugs already strung up and hanging from the ceiling by their wrists. He placed one of his long-taloned feet down on the crime boss's chest. "A man ends up…"

He pressed the foot down. "PAYING…for his indiscretions."

"Now hold on, I used perfectly acceptable banking methods-"

Now he was lifted up into the air by Nightwing's tail…and not wrapped up in the SOFT part either. The spikes upon the dark dragon's tail cut into his body, making him scream.

"Yes, in Kazakhstan perhaps, but not HERE in New York City." Nightwing snarled.

"Hold on, I've got family to take care of, do you have kids?"

Nightwing touched his lip with a claw. He knew already this man was lying, he could READ deceit, but he wanted to put on a show before he got to work. "Yes, yes I do."

"Then you know how it is, you're willin' to do ANYTHING to make sure they've got everything they want!"

"Ah, then I bet you know some fairy tales, then." Nightwing asked calmly.

"Oh yes!"

"And I'll bet you know they were originally CAUTIONARY tales." Nightwing added. "How about I tell you the one about the stupid prick who gets his heart ripped out by a dragon!" He went on, smile becoming wide.

Waiting outside, a girl with spiked-up black hair in a dark pink outfit and black jeans waited for him to finish up. "You know," she began as he walked out. "I'm REALLY not comfortable with how you finish off the bosses. I mean, cutting his heart out?"

"You MIGHT be right. But this is more entertaining, dear Haley. Saaaaay…I was thinking…tonight..."

He held up the decapitated skull of "Jack", having separated it, along with the man's heart, from the rest of his body. "Would you like a little **head**?"

She suppressed a snort as he kicked the head through the window nearby, making several bums scream and run out of the warehouse. "Okay, uh…look, um…we've been dating for a long time now, right?"

Nightwing nodded. "Indeed."

"Well…I've come to a decision." Haley Long said. "I'll tell you everything tonight, okay?"

She patted him on the shoulder and then her body was encased in brilliant fire for a moment before a slightly short purple/pink dragons stood there with a thick black hair spiking up at the top. She nodded happily, then rushed up through the air on her wings as Nightwing smiled happily. It was true she was…young, compared to him. But he had a fondness for young women.

He then frowned, thinking back to his past, back to the days when he'd been a villain and had tried to do that which was unspeakable to Lilo, to strip her of her light…he had put those days behind him and didn't harm the innocent anymore, not when he could help it.

Taking to the sky, he headed to the Empire State Building to think, resting his chin on the flat of his fist.

"So, do you think she's going to talk about her old boyfriends, perhaps?"

"…ugh. Maybe. I have no idea, she shall tell me when I see her tonight at her home."

"I admire your maturity. Now if it were me I would be over-analyzing everything. Like how she didn't' kiss you goodbye."

"You can be quiet now. I will have you know that women are independent beings who can make their own choices! If you look at any successful relationship, you'll find one common element. TRUST."

He turned his head to look at the large, dark black dragon to the right of him, who's purple mane of spiky hair was slicked back as he calmly folded his arms, purple claws twitching slightly, an amused smile on his face, yellow eyes gazing deeply at Nightwing's own dark ones. "Fine, but this reminds me of my offer…"

"Look, I love your daughter, Dark Dragon, but I will not join your crusade against mankind. There is a…light to them. In my past I sought to strip it from them…" He frowned. "I was wrong in that regard. You cannot destroy the light anymore than you can destroy the dark. Just as the sun sets, bringing darkness across the Earth…there are always stars, shining above…and…of course…the Moon."

He smiled. "I shall be that moon. A light amidst the darkness."

"How touching." The Dark Dragon admitted. "Part of me honestly wishes that man could "ascend", but they have debased we of magical blood for years."

"That was a long time ago. They've evolved since then." Nightwing insisted.

"We will see…we will see."

THAT NIGHT…

Pacing back and forth. Nervous…frightened…worry…

How could he be so WORRIED? Didn't he know Haley like he knew his own heart?

The door opened. Haley Long stood there, looking slightly nervous. But…he couldn't read her. Not that he COULDN'T, but…he WOULDN'T. It was a violation of the trust he had in her.

"Nightwing…we've been dating for a long time, and I've been giving a lot of thought to this." She said, taking his hand. "And I... I'd like to take our relationship to the next level."

Nightwing blinked. "You mean…" He began, mouth opening in surprise.

She nodded. Nightwing smiled happily, taking her in his arms and carrying her to bed. He felt overjoyed as he laid her down on the bed and she began to take her clothes off while he quickly brushed his teeth. He didn't want his breath to smell badly.

"Just think," he thought. "Soon I'll-"

"What are you going to do?" asked Lilo, as 561 stared into her eyes unblinking. He stroked her hair, tail wrapping around her tightly, pulling her more closely.  
"I think I'll give you my blessing." He said. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the term "molestation" at all?" Lilo suddenly took in a breath. "No...no..." "Yesss..." 561 said, pulling her closer to his body. He lowered her to the ground, still stroking her hair. He gently leaned in, closer and closer. "You cannot fight me. Just enjoy it...I know I will."

Nightwing gasped, the white crescent moon insignia on his golden-scaled chest glowing darkly as he clutched his heart. No, NO, he couldn't think back to that time! This was new, this was a different person and he would not act in that manner.

He approached Haley, who was waiting for him on the bed, sans clothes. He smiled and his tail curled up slightly in pleasure and excitement. "I'm glad I met you. You're fiery, but also kind and gentle and totally real. You have helped me along my path to accepting the usefulness of light-"

"Your kind, gentle nature turned him to the side of light. Amazing, really. You are quite beautiful too…"

He licked her ear, and she shivered. "I'll enjoy what I'm about to do to you. Don't struggle. You'll only suffer more." "You said you've gotta lot of that dark stuff in you…" Lilo said, her voice filled with a mix of fear and curiosity. "Does that mean you're really, really evil?" "I know that I am evil. That is fact." "If you're willing to admit that, then maybe…" "What?" "If you're admitting you're got some bad in you, than maybe you're not ALL bad…"

561 shook his head slowly, putting a claw on Lilo's lip. "Shhhh." He whispered. "No, little one. That was a simple observation of the mind. I am too filled with darkness to EVER be touched by the light. Unfortunately for you and your little family, the light can ALWAYS be made a part of darkness…as you are about to find out." He leaned closer, and Lilo fell onto the ground. He pinned her to the ground with his clawed hands and taloned feet, looking down into her tear-filled eyes…

He nervously bit his lip. STOP THIS, he thought angrily. How could his mind keep going back to that? He carefully climbed onto the bed, but he was definitely showing his nervousness.

"What's wrong?" Haley asked.

"It's just…I have never done this before." He admitted.

"Well…me neither." Haley admitted. "But…I think we're ready." She smiled and patted him on the side of the head. "C'mon, you'll **enjoy** it!"

For a brief moment her voice was not HERS, and he was not looking down at Haley Long, but Lilo Pelekai once again.

"Now then…it's time I had a little fun. Maybe once I'm done, I'll eat you. I haven't tasted human meat yet…" "Don't…please…" Lilo begged. 561 leaned down, coming closer to her. "Relax…it won't hurt. At least, it won't hurt me. And who knows?" His face was right up to hers. He licked his lips, he was almost an inch away from her face and her body. "You may…heh-heh…enjoy this…" He reached over her chest with a claw, ripping at the center of her muumuu, pulling it open, pulling it OFF…

He quickly jumped back, clinging to the walls as darkness filled his vision and sneering faces surrounded him.

"You will NEVER be forgiven for what you have done…why try to deny your inner nature? INDULGE!" They demanded of him, howling, screeching, snarling.

"SILENCE! I AM NOT THY SLAVE!" He yelled back at the darkness. "I make my own choices!"

"You cannot deny us! Give into the darkness, we can salvage you, you hopeless wreck!"

"You do NOT control me!" Experiment 561 hissed, spreading his wings wide, his glowing moon insignia blazing. "Foolish MACHINE! You think I cannot **handle** the darkness?"

His body glowed brightly as a swirling dark purple aura rose around him, like a clawed hand reaching up, and it shredded the blackness apart as he clenched his clawed fists and howled to the Heavens…

**"I ****LIVE**** THERE!" **He roared out.

And thus, the illusion was broken…and he was sitting at the edge of the bed with Haley patting his back.

"I am not proud of what I sought to do to her. But because of that…it's too soon, Haley. My heart is not yet settled. I cannot put my past behind me so easily."

"I understand." Haley insisted. "But I'm willing to wait. I want you to know that." She said, resting her head against his. He smiled at this, and the two calmly stayed up through the night, watching the sun rise from the open window before them, casting it's sweet rays over New York City.

…

…

…

… "That's IT? You couldn't get it UP-"

SMACK!

"OW!"

Chopsuey held his head as Carmen tossed him a look. Page patted Nightwing on the back, but he was obviously nervous about doing so. "I am…fearful…of your abilities…and for your soul." He admitted. "But…you try quite hard to stick to the side of order. I thank you for that." He nodded, content.

"Don't cozy up to me, please, choir boy." Nightwing requested. "It feels…wrong."

"What do you think the others are up to? I hope Nick's alright." Ariel wrote down on her notepad.

ELSEWHERE…

"This is nice, y'know." Nick said as he drove the car down the road towards the hotel Green was staying at. "Two movie buffs just hangin' out and going to visit a friend. Okay, granted, that friend is an emotionally-troubled girl who's got pyrokinetic and gravitational powers that are on the verge of exploding if she doesn't get some comfort, but that's normal stuff for me." Nick told Alex as he continued to drive the automatic. "So…I heard you've been repairing the Eiffel Tower…"

"It was an accident." Alex mumbled, blushing slightly. "Darth told me that I shouldn't just pay a bill, so I suggested I do hands-on repairs…community service, like feeding hobos and reading books to the elderly and punching out Mel Gibson whenever he's drunk."

"You're witty." Nick laughed. "Thanks for helping with my son, too. Mahalo plenty. But…your whole…BEING is off. There's something…odd about you, I've got the Willies sitting next to you, my soul's being disturbed. So…I need to ask…"

They came to a stop sign and Nick stopped the car. "Are you a demon of some kind? I won't judge, really, some good friends of mine are demons."

"To be honest Nick, I do not really KNOW anymore." Alex said, shrugging. "I'm so mutated, so much of an amalgam, I don't even have a stable genetic sequence anymore!"

"Could be worse." Nick told him happily. "You look pretty well-put-together for somebody who's DNA is all over the graph." He then sighed a little as he got the car moving again. "I hope Green's going to be alright. I really do. Hopefully one of my songs will cheer her up. "

He grinned at Alex. "That's the nice part about magic music. There's so much POTENTIAL, don't you think? And I know a lot about potential."

"Yeah, I suppose. Can't say I know much about magic though…" Alex admitted.

"One day, I'll see if King and I can teach you! Together the two of us-oh…here we are!"

The car came to a stop outside of the "Best Western" and Nick and Alex left the car, heading to room 148. Knocking on the door, Nick was rewarded with a "Come in" and they headed inside.

The room was stuffy. There were no windows or AC on. Green sat there, on the bed, reading a story based on a true story: "Squishy, Hugger of Worlds". She was wearing light blue jeans and sighed as she looked at them.

"The Phoenix has been quiet lately. VERY quiet." She said. "I think it's getting more and more power. I don't suppose you've come to kill me?"

"Nonsense." Nick said. "We're here to cheer you up." Nick said. "There's plenty of ways to keep your power from going out of control, we don't need to kill you. There's always a way short of killing."

"For SOME." Alex thought. Even then, he could feel his bones shifting under his skin on the inside of his forearms, trying to form large, scythe like blades. A part of his mind wanted nothing more than to slice the young girl in half. Instead, he forced the blades to twist, lodging them into his bones. Looking over at Nick, he sighed. "Thanks for the offer of magic, Nick, but I can't use it" he thought sadly. Altering his eyesight, he looked at himself. Instead of an aura, he saw two wraith like creatures trying to escape.

"Your British friend wants to kill me…at least some part of him does. Don't give me that look!" She told Nick, raising one hand up and sighing. "The fire of the Phoenix BURNS through lies…so BURN…and tell me, what exactly ARE you?" She demanded to know of Alex, eyes narrowing. "You're not even truly human, **are** you?"

Alex looked at her, his eyes so much older than they should be.

"Alright, **watch!**" he said, spreading his arms out. Then two ghostly creatures detached from his body, becoming visible as they took on humanlike forms.

Nick placed his hands on his sides as he sighed sadly, looking the scene over while Green's eyes became burning embers, her flesh falling away to reveal the bright star within.

**"How DELICIOUS...what have we heeeere, I wonder?"** The Phoenix spoke up.

"Get out…of that girl." Nick demanded angrily.

**"Ah, no." **The Phoenix laughed, rising into the air. **"I burn away all I see fit. Frankly, average humans do not have any real right to exist in this world because they do not change, not one bit. Though THIS one is not an average human."** The Phoenix remarked, looking Alex and the two spirits by his side over.

"Okay, granted, he's weird, but I like weird." Nick said.

**"Hmm. YOU art no average human either, are you?"** The Phoenix inquired of Nick.

"You have no right to decide what species lives or dies. You're no God."

**"I've lived for thousands of years and have utter control over fire and gravity. I can do things you've never even IMAGINED."**

"Right and wrong were around longer than you've been living." Nick said resolutely, clenching his fist.

Then it happened. The creature to Alex's left turned to his experiment form, it's antennae extending to their full razor edged length whilst the one to his right became a replica of himself, but with larger muscles, sunken white eyes and crackling red energy and plasma tentacles. "You see, this is why I never go anywhere, I ruin everything!" Alex sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "And Nick, I'm not weird, I'm an abomination, and you can blame my bloodlust on HIM!" he said, pointing towards the experiment.

Nick blinked, then kicked the experiment in the shin. It bounced up and down, going "OW-OW-OW" as it did so, while the other one blinked stupidly, as if hardly daring to believe what it had just seen.

**"Hmm. A cursed one. See, this is why you humans are disgusting. Your existence is a plague upon the universe."** The Phoenix reasoned.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you're from a race that has never so much as littered. EVERY freakin' race, species and group of people has made mistakes, I have lived for YEARS and been to DOZENS of worlds and seen this is true. What makes people GOOD is how they try to learn from their mistakes and atone for them! But you're not a "person" so you wouldn't know that." He told the Phoenix angrily. "ALEX is a person. I don't know about these two things here, but his mere expression of remorse over the bad things that occur due in part to him are proof that he's good…at least deep down, if nothing else!"

Nick folded his arms, frowning. "And Green felt bad about what she had done too, so I know that SHE is good. Now I wanna talk to her again, Phoenix!"

**"…fine. We'll meet again though. Just GIVE me a reason to go wild. I DARE you. I DOUBLE DOG dare you."** She laughed, before Green's form reverted to normal.

Alex quickly snapped his fingers, quickly taking the creatures back into his body. "How strong are you? My experiment form is even stronger than Stitch?" He asked Nick.

"You wanna know how I did that? What, can'tcha hear that?" Nick asked, pointing down at his watch. It had been hard to hear over the roar of the Phoenix's deep voice, but now it was clear…the watch was playing a heroic, instrumental theme. "Neat, huh?"

"…is that the…theme song from Indiana Jones?" Green inquired.

"It is indeed. Da-da-da-daaaa! Da-da-daaaa!" Nick laughed, as a whip appeared in his hand and he cracked it, breaking a nearby lamp in half. The music then stopped abruptly.

"…oops." Nick said nervously, turning bright red in the face.

Alex pointed one finger towards the lamp, the pieces shooting back together "Reality warping, I love it!" he stated before pointing at Green "There's something I need to give to you, but I can't remember where it is" a tentacle reached out from inside his coat, holding something, wrapped in paper, just larger than an orange. "Thank's..wait a tick!" he said, pulling out a plant the size of his arm, grinning sheepishly.

"…what's THAT?" Green inquired, looking confused. "I get the feeling I have SEEN it before…somewhere…"

"Eve, or this?" he inquired, pointing toward the orb as he set the plant down, which proceeded to crawl towards Green

"I think this thing likes me." Green said as the plant sniffed her all over. "It reminds me of Puddingsack!"

"What odd things." Nick remarked, looking at the orb and holding it in his hands. There was a faint feeling of some odd power coming from them both…remnants, perhaps, of Alex's own spirit?

Alex "hmm'd" on the spot. "Strange, normally everything I make with Sprout's power just NIPS people. And THIS…" he said unwrapping the paper around it "is for you" it was a perfect sphere, no sign of machinery or tools, and inside was a swirling nebulae of colors.

"Alex, this is BEAUTIFUL." Nick said in awe. "What is it? It's almost like…a SOUL…" Nick went on as the colors danced around, the little Eve kissing Green on the cheek and panting like a dog.

"It's a micro nebula I created, and then encased in clear quarts. I gave Echo something special so it only seemed fair. I might as well since I already broke the rule!" he laughed as he handed it to Green, who held it up and looked it over in awe as the plant leapt back to Alex's shoulder.

Nick patted Alex on the shoulder as they headed outside. "You've got a good heart, Alex. This is just the sort of thing that'll cheer her up and keep her from giving into despair. What'll REALLY help seal the deal though, is her parents helping, and that's where I've gotta go now." Nick told him.

He then felt his cell phone vibrate heavily and he looked down at it, then flipped it open. A text message was there.

"…hmm. Alex, I need you to go with Staccato's group and to help track down Ace and Spectra. Think you'll be alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Oh, could you drop Eve at my home for me?" he asked, holding up the plant which had hitched a ride with him. Nick nodded and took it in his hands.

"Oh, and may I say your author is a great person." He added, heading off.

Nick raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. He only had a VAGUE idea of what Alex meant, but…for some reason he didn't pry. It was like some sort of truth that was obvious and didn't need to be mentioned, like how you didn't stick a fork into an electrical socket, or how you shouldn't try to make toast while in the shower.

Somebody who was looking after him was somebody Alex knew. And a good person. What else mattered if a heart was that of good?


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_People take manners for granted._

_Why be polite? Isn't it just a social invention to get us to go to parties we don't like or saying "Why Aunt Gertrude, this glow-in-the-dark-sequin is JUST what I always wanted!"_

_But it's more than that. We human beings developed a system that reminds us…to be KIND to one another…_

_And above all, to listen to the voices of our better angels._

_And so…at the party to which all were invited and none would be turned away, there was going to be that chance…a chance for hundreds of thousands to listen to their better angels and find within their hearts to accept those that are really not that different from themselves…_

The being at the podium that was speaking to the crowd was a small white dragon that couldn't have been more than three and a half feet tall. He had four claws upon each of his forepaws, and three talons on his back paws. He also small, angelic wings with a second set of wings made of golden feathers underneath another that matched his beautiful, smooth and silken white shade of fur he had over his body. He possessed two smaller "horns" jutting from the side and bottom of his head, and a larger one in the center of his head, with two fairly long ears on each side of his head, and a red, curved stripe over his nose. His tail was lying flat on the ground…alright, MOSTLY flat. The tip curved up into the air and was moving back and forth…he was wagging it like a happy little puppy.

His voice was beautiful and melodious, and it put Jude and Page's wonderful voices to shame. Though he was undeniably cute, there was an aura of sheer AWE around his body. And now the ruler of Niihau, the Dragon Lord of Flame and Light, spoke fluidly to everyone in the room. To the side were Kuko, Peleka and Sandy, who were setting up auto-translation machines so that all could know what the Lord of Flame and Light had to say. Soon everything in the room was being heard in the native tongue of those who were listening…it was all natural here.

"I hope to God this works. I hope to God they listen." Sandy admitted softly to his sister.

"Firstly, may I say aloha, and how glad I am to see all of you here. I didn't expect so many people!" Senkoukura laughed. "If I may start at the beginning…years ago, before Lilo Pelekai first met with experiment 626, she wished for God to bring her the tenderest angel he could find. He answered her prayers with Stitch…experiment 626. That was the beginning…when a lost little space dog found love in the arms of a little girl who accepted him for what he was, and loved him not in spite of his eccentricities, but BECAUSE of them.

Precisely two years later, Nicholas Michael Grey arrived on Kauai, discovering he had unusual…talents. He discovered he had skills that were awakened by interaction with experiments…talents created by the bonds of _ohana_. He formed a bond with Lilo and her _ohana_ and decided to take the next step…to better himself by seeking to help others better themselves. He sought to dedicate his life to helping others through "heroics".

Upon returning to Kauai years later, he helped my mother give birth to me and then to my sister, Esmeralda, who sadly could not be here today." Senkoukura took a breath. "Stitch saw that I had potential, and Lilo advocated for me, insisting I be allowed a chance to prove myself. Nick suggested we use this island we now stand on…and thus, I became ruler over an experimental-only population.

But it did not stop there. I made terrible mistakes in the past. I had murdered humans due to my belief that they could no co-exist peacefully with experimentkind and I am sickened by those actions. Recently, I had been kept up at night, unsure of what to say, but now these words are clear.

These words come from my father…Heartwing, experiment 421, the World of the Major Arcana. His power was in being able to generate light energy. With the immense amount of light inside of him, he saw within the hearts and souls of others. He saw the lust and guilt, fear and terror, hatred and sorrow. He was only a few minutes old when he looked into his father's heart and saw the blood on Jumba Jookiba's hands…saw the darkness that lay lurking.

He ended up on the island of Kauai in Kokaua Town and grew up in a reality where experiments were unsure of what their purpose was…where many did not yet have their one true place. At first he sought only to punish darkness, but with the kind words of his dear friend, Nick Grey, he used his light for a new purpose…

He saw through the hate. He saw deep down that we are scared…

We do not want to be betrayed. We do not want to be hurt. We all want to be loved."

People stirred in their seats, feeling…touched. Some people had their hands to their lips in awe and shock.

"First and foremost, experiments are not weapons. In the beginning, that is what we were thought of. Now we are people. PEOPLE.

It is true. We are people, and we have been persecuted and murdered and vilified. In total, the figures of Experimental Americans killed in the last four years number 2087, a murder rate that has been growing by 20% every year. That is 2087 possible doctors who could have discovered a cure for AIDS gone. 2087 poets and writers and Nobel laureates have been lost forever. Yet we look to the future with hope.

We seek to train artists and scientists, musicians and athletes and politicians…even waiters and pilots and firefighters."

"How about bartenders?" Someone asked, which got a laugh.

"I'll drink to that!" Senkoukura laughed back, which made everyone laugh harder. "Just THINK of what Experimental Americans can do! Telepaths can go into the depths of the human mind to free people from their destructive behavior patterns, we have those that can heal leprosy with a touch, others who can take people flying over the skies…we can grow life in the Earth where before nothing could prosper. We are all brothers and sisters…

In the words of Lilo Pelekai, **we are all cousins, all part of one big **_**ohana**_. We breathe the same air and love the same Earth, The idea that we should fight each other is absolutely absurd. We have NOTHING to gain and EVERYTHING to lose.

We are all tired of running and hiding and trying to defend ourselves from attacks. We will endure the worst that hate can offer and we will survive. We are not afraid of the future. Neither should you.

Let us all work together and make the Earth a nice place to live. We've got the drive and the power.

It's a big job, but it's got to be done.

And the work starts now."

The crowd rose as one and cheers resounded through the hall. Senkoukura smiled broadly. This could truly be the start of something great.

…

…

…

… "That was AMAZING!" Sandy laughed happily, hugging his brother Kuko tightly. "Can you BELIEVE it?" He asked as Peleka looked over a large throng of video screens that showed people from all over the world…cousins, fellow experiments, members of the family. "Did you see all those faces?"

"_Preferiti,_ are they really praying for us?" Peleka inquired, looking amused.

"And how." Jude said, his crystalline body glowing brightly as he showed them the large throngs of people bowing their heads in St. Peter's square.

"The massive support is worldwide." The Lord of the Dreamtime intoned in his wise, gentle voice, bowing his serpentine head as he broadcasted from Australia, his beautiful scales glowing. "We in Australia and New Zealand are proud to know of the Lord of Flame and Light and throw our support behind his words."

"As Empress of Japan, I too am happy to pledge MY support to the experimental population of the world." Hanako Sunten informed them all, smiling gently at them as she stood alongside her brother Ranku in her throne room. "His words are a firefly's light we must follow to the end of the graveyard, out of a world of death and decay and into one of hope and life."

"I can understand 421's words now." Sandy said, looking at the tiki necklace around his neck. "I can forgive…"

EARLIER…

**CLANG!**

Esmeralda's claws clashed with Draco's sword as the two of them jumped back and forth in the air. Draco sheathed his sword quickly, putting up his fists. "Do you TRULY want to do this? Why are you so intent on fighting me?"

"This is the only way to bring out your truest self!" She insisted. "The only way I can redeem myself!" She went on as she spun through the air, delivering a quick kick to the side of his head, slamming him into the wall.

He then GRABBED her leg and frowned angrily, tossing her into the air and jumping up, delivering a swift strike to the head, then a harsh kick that launched HER into the wall. Landing deftly, he clenched his fists tightly. "I suppose I'll have to scale-up to defeat you." He decided out loud.

"Oh really?" Esmeralda laughed as the others ran out of the house, knowing the carnage that was about to come.

"That's enough!" Nick yelled, appearing in the doorway. They turned their heads as Nick pointed at Esmeralda. "Ezzie, calm down. We have more important things to deal with. Like finding Jack."

"He's no doubt moved his base." Esmeralda admitted. "Spectra and Ace have their own place that Bartok set up. That place has got more technology packed into it than NASA on CRACK."

"Yes, Alex and the others are following them."

"And Gavrilo's staying by Jack's side constantly."

"…do you think that…" Nightwing rubbed his chin.

"What?" Nick asked.

"…have you ever noticed how Gavrilo was so…CLINGY to Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Perhaps he's…of the homosexual nature."

"So he's doing this for love?" Nick asked, looking slightly grieved.

"Nice GOING, you stupid salamander, Nick already felt bad about the idea of having to kick a child's ass, sociopathic experiment or not!" Pleakley snapped.

"Well there's one thing we definitely have to do." Nick decided. "And that's tell get Bonnie somewhere safe. Jack was willing to kill Clyde…he might be willing to do the same to Bonnie."

"But Bonnie is the FAVORITE parent!" Draco insisted. "He wouldn't…would he?" He asked quietly, in a voice more like that of his other self.

Esmeralda bit her lip and closed her eyes, looking away in shame.

…

…

…

…Grendella awoke to find herself bound up along with her mother inside of what appeared to be a large boardroom with ornate wallpaper and banners flowing down. There was a shadowy figure watching from a precipice above…watching Jack look his mother and sister over with a melancholy expression as Gavrilo stood to the side, holding onto a gun.

Single action Colt revolver. Gleaming in the dark confines of the room as burning candles lit the walls up, casting dancing shadows on the walls as Jack looked back and forth from Grendella to Bonnie.

"I didn't want things to get this far, but…but sometimes things spiral out of control and the only way to get them back IN control is to do something called the "Cutting the Gordian Knot"…a blunt solution to a very big and complex problem. I…" He hesitated again. "I had wanted to keep you OUT of this. But this is required."

He stood back up on his cane, knees knocking together as he shakingly made his way to the back of Bonnie, taking the gun with his other paw. "This is the only way I can continue to punish those that are hiding their true evil selves. The only way to make things right. Bruce Wayne was an orphan…so must I become one too…"

"You don't believe those words." Grendella said quietly, eyes widening. "You can't believe them. Jack, this is our MOTHER you're going to-"

"I KNOW." He sobbed, tears falling down his cheeks as he held his mother's head, crying as he pressed the gun to the back of her head. "I **KNOW**…I don't want this to hurt. I don't. I don't want to do this but I have to, I HAVE to. Please forgive me, Mommy. I wanted to leave you out of this, you and my sister, but I CAN'T…I just CAN'T. I'm sorry."

Bonnie hung her head, the tears trickling out of her eyes.

_"There's dis horrid, EVIL thing that's a part of us dat makes it seem okay for us to do really awful things. I must gotten it from Jumba and passed it onto YOU and Grendella…and all I can say is…I'm __**SORRY**__…_

Grendella looked away. Jack closed his eyes. Bonnie whispered out

"I'm sorry too."

He pulled the trigger. The shot went straight up into her head with a CHUNKA-SCHLUMP and she let out a harsh gurgle, blood slowly dripping down from the back of her head before she finally hit the ground, eyes forever unseeing. Jack tossed the gun to the side and dropped to his knees, covering his eyes in shame.

"You're not going to start PRAYING, are you?" The form above remarked. "The Corporation doesn't approve of that." He added, tossing Jack a Hypercortisone X inhaler.

Jack caught it and pocketed it, slowly getting up and walking out with Gavrilo as Grendella turned to look at the form who now descended from the ceiling on bony wings, grabbing her face with bony white claws and smirking horridly with his black eyes, the red fangs in his mouth glittering. Another pair of arms held her arms to the side while another held her breasts, fondling them…and a final hand traced a circle of blood in her chest, making her whimper.

"Now for some fun." Samael, the Devil of the Major Arcana laughed. "No punching, no marks, otherwise, it's all good. You've seen "Kill Bill", haven't you?"

Grendella was sweating bullets as Samael pinned her to the ground. "I'll be Buck. You be the comatose Uma Thurman. Sound good?"

"You sick-"

A form appeared, yellow eyes glowing. "Ah, Spooky, glad to see you here. What can I help you with?"

"I know I was supposed to eliminate the girl, but…that demon Vassago double-crossed us and stole her from her room. She's gone!" Spooky informed him.

Samael's eyes narrowed balefully. "I'm not pleased with that. Your daughter…is going to deal with you instead of me, though."

Spooky smiled triumphantly. "I'm not afraid of my daughter."

"You should be." A voice spoke up from behind him.

He had time to scream.

…

…

…

… it had been two days since the big speech on Niihau…but there was no time for celebration. This was a time for hunting down fish that got away.

"This is it, huh?" Myr inquired as Nacht, White and Alex headed towards a small-looking ocean house. Sari was with them, White holding her in his arms. He was trying to have some fun with her.

"Now Sari, I can't bring you in the villain's lair." He told her as she slowly awoke from her nap. "But I promise I'll bring you back a souvenir. Like a Death Ray. Or maybe "The Pacifier"." He laughed.

"…Mr. White…" She remarked quietly, looking up at him with her beautiful eyes. "You think that everything's one big JOKE but I've been having the same dream over and over and I just had it again. Everybody is going to **DIE.**" She muttered.

All of them were silent. White's pink eyes looked down into hers and he found he had nothing to say. He simply put her down and patted her on the head as the rest of them headed inside the house.

There was nothing within. There was only a black room with a big white carpet that overlooked the sea…that and a hatch in the floor.

They descended down through the steps and made their way to something out of a comic book. It was almost like an underground mansion, complete with a red carpeting that led to a large swirling set of steps…down which Ace and Spectra were descending.

"Welcome!" He told them all, spreading out his arms as he reached the lower floor. "I've got something quite important to discuss with all of you." He told them.

"You're under arrest, you _maniak!_" Myr snapped, holding up a microphone that glowed brightly with electrical energy, sparkling lightning from it's tip.

"Yes, yes, but aren't you worried about what I've been planning?" Ace inquired.

All of them gave each other looks. "Yes." White finally said. "Okay, fine, we'll bite. What have you been up to?" He asked.

Ace walked towards a large set of double doors and motioned for them to follow. They headed after him as Spectra opened up the doors for them and they were shown an enormous collection of memorabilia from Ace's crime-fighting days. A giant robotic dinosaur…

"That's from my Adventure of the Robo-Dino-Terror!"

"And that giant coin?" Myr inquired.

"That's from a tale I think of as the "Route of All Evil" when I busted a smuggling ring that ran all along Rouge 66!"

"And that costume collection?" Nacht asked, jabbing his clawed thumb at a large closet that had several dozen costumes such as pirates, ninjas, marital artists and strange make-up to go with it. "Let me guess...that was from when you brought down those thieves that were misusing Japanese theater magic to steal from banks?"

"Yes, I call it-" Ace began.

"The Undercover Adventure?" Nacht interjected.

"Actually the Time I Brought Down Robbers Using Japanese Theater Magic. That title of yours is MUCH better!" Ace complimented, clapping his hands.

"Be a good Bond villain and tell us what you're up to. Why work with Jack? Why did the Clan get founded anyhow?"

"It's all tied to what I've been asked to do…rain destruction on Niihau." Ace told them, shrugging. "I've got enormous laser cannons built into the ground. Once their hatches open, they'll ravage the island."

All of them widened their eyes in horror. Myr stepped forward, swirling his microphone-on-a-coil like a spiked ball on a chain. "I'm NOT letting you do that! NONE of us shall! _Alevai tisaref ba ge'inom!_"

"Myr, honestly, do you REALLY think I'm so stupid as to allow you any chance to stop what I've got planned?" Ace remarked, shrugging. Spectra raised up a remote and flicked the switch on it, allowing video screens to lower behind them. "I'm not so stupid nor so cliché that I'd monologue and allow you a chance to distract me so that you can halt my operation. The minute you stepped inside and I welcomed you in, I said the code word to begin the sequence. It's happening right now." Ace remarked, gesturing at the screens. "I'd turn around and watch it myself, but I don't want to damage my EYES..." He added as the screens showed the cannons adjusting themselves and aiming up...the blasts then soared through the air...

And right...towards...Niihau.

Mercifully, there was no sound. But their imaginations were very big. It was clear the blasts were agonizingly painful from the expression on the faces of the hundreds of experiments on Niihau.

_"No."_ White whispered.

"Oh mighty Yahweh…" Myr sobbed.

"H-H-How…" Nacht gasped.

Alex's eyes widened at the sight, his brain relaying an almost identical past event. "WHY?" was all he could ask as his knees hit the floor, tears brimming in his eyes.

Spectra tossed the remote away and held her arms, rubbing up and down. "You have parents, don't you?" She asked quietly. "Put yourself in their position...would you not to ANYTHING to ensure your children survived?"

"We would." Ace agreed, nodding his head. "That is why we founded the Clan. So…what will you do now?" He asked them simply.

"I had two families once, but they didn't stoop to MURDER, even when one was taken by that hateful **infection!**" Alex whispered, eyes clenched shut, nostalgia filling his heart. He remembered a universe that had meant so much to him that he destroyed in an instant…and now death was raining down on Niihau.

All those lights going out…so many dying…screams being abruptly silenced, wails ended before they truly began…

"What will you do now?" Ace asked calmly. "Kill me? I'm a world-famous superhero. Murder my wife? You'd risk investigation. The experimental population of Niihau will be almost annihilated by this result...and thus humans, who have been so cruel to us in the past few years, will open their hearts. This incident, combined with Senkoukura's latest speech will give us HOPE. Let all who have ears hear..."

Spectra pressed another button on the remote and radio waves began to play.

"Calling for immediate restitution towards-"

"President has issued a state of emergency and sent aid-"

"Greenpeace offers condolences..."

"Russia has volunteered to help rebuild..."

"People are flocking in thousands to churches like these to pray for the souls of 2,400 Experimental Americans who have just perished..."

"They are praying for us...PRAYING." Ace whispered happily, eyes filled with joy. "They no longer hate. If you expose what I've done...you'll get them to hate us once more." He told the group. "So what will you do?"

Alex's face contorted with anger. A thick vine shot from between his shoulderblades, it's gaping maw engulfing Ace's head, lifting his struggling form. "MMMMGGGHHH!" He gasped.

Spectra's grinned evilly. Suddenly Alex felt his worse fear rise up in his mind and he staggered back, forcibly dropping Ace's limp form as Spectra's eyes glowed.

"That trick might have worked on my husband, but NOT on me." She said coldly. "Now then-"

Suddenly she gasped in horror as somebody gripped her head tightly and a flash of light surrounded her head. She then sank to her knees, eyes glazed over, drooling slightly as Staccato, the Justice, stood there. He looked down at Spectra. "F-k Ozymandias." He remarked.

He knelt down by Ace. "Ace, you were my friend...my comrade. How could you do this...especially to me?" He shook his head and then looked up at Alex. "Sorry I didn't come sooner, I had to make sure she was focused on making your worst nightmare come to life in your head. Otherwise she would have heard me."

He then looked to the side at Spectra, who was still stock still, drooling. "Right now she's feeling every single pain her victims ever felt. Some people can handle the experience..."

He then promptly tipped her over with a single tap of his boot and she hit the ground, still drooling. "Some can't." He finished softly, sorrowfully, holding his face.

Alex however, was still locked in anger. He raised his hand again and the vines shot out, lifting Ace up into the air, trying to choke him…

"Alex...any more and you'll kill him." White said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. "Let him go."

He felt his eyes burn for a second, and his consciousness was dragged from his body. His eyes glazed over, turning white, and a voice that was not his own escaped his lips.

"MAKE ME!" he yelled, the amber necklace around his neck slowly combining with the handle of his machete on his belt.

White motioned for the others to stand back as he and Staccato stepped forward. "Staccato, if you TOUCH him..."

"I can get inside his head and jolt him out of it, yes." Staccato admitted. "My "Ruling" ability allows me to force empathy into unfeeling hearts. And it seems Alex is becoming VERY unfeeling indeed."

"Be careful then." White said rushing forward at light speed and slamming his fist into Alex's face.

Alex recoiled slightly, the vine loosening its grip…but not letting go completely.

"YOU KNOW, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH EASIER IF YOU HAD SEPARATED THE MACHETE OR NECKLACE BEFORE THEY COMBINED." he said, as the blade slipped through his skin into his chest "AND IF YOU TRY AND ENTER MY MIND, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE ONLY PAIN!"

"We're not afraid of you, Alex." Nacht spoke up, holding up his hands and being ready to fight as Myr twirled his microphone.

"I'M NOT ALEX." Not-Alex snapped.

"Hmm. Who might I be speaking to if not Alex?" White remarked as Staccato's hands glowed brightly.

"I HAVE NO NAME, I AM SIMPLY WANTON RAGE." Wanton Rage hissed through the borrowed mouth of Alex Hardie.

"Let Ace go, foul thing." Staccato said, holding up his fists. "I am only a robot, but I know of Justice better than anyone and the kind Ace deserves can only be administered from my hands. If there is even a fraction of the good soul that was Alex Hardie listening...you must fight this rage. Nobody else should die today." He said gently.

The thing laughed, throwing it's borrowed head back. "WHY SHOULD I STOP? I FEED ON PAIN, AND ALEX CANNOT HEAR YOU!"

"I will MAKE him hear us." Staccato said. "White!"

"Right..." White smirked and clenched his fist. "See, I'm thinkin' about moving those air particles around you faster and FASTER until..."

BOOOOM! The air around Alex exploded, knocking him back through the air and forcing him to let go of Ace, who hit the ground. Myr and Nacht ran to him and Spectra and carried them away while Staccato and White faced down Alex, who got back up. "What will it take to knock some SENSE into you, Alex?" White yelled. "I know how awful you feel, what it's like to have dark urges living inside you...I know what that's like more than anyone because I AM dark urges, the darkest urges an innocent soul could have imagined with **YEARS** of experience in evil! You don't have to be alone in your curse. Let me HELP you. If nothing else..."

He smiled and held out one hand. "Spending some time with me would be VERY interesting."

The form shook its head sadly, mockingly. "WHY DO YOU INSIST UPON CALLING ME BY THAT PATHETIC WHELP'S NAME? AND I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY AND BEAT ANYTHING INTO ME. THIS FORM MAY BLOCK MY EXPERIMENT POWERS, BUT MY REALITY WARPING IS INCREASED!" He added, getting into a fighting position.

"Staccato...one voice might be able to reach through to Alex. Can you hold him off long enough for me to get her?" White asked Staccato.

Staccato raised his glowing fists up. "I will do my best." He promised. "Go, Wheel of Fortune! "

With that, White blinked out of the place as Staccato faced down Alex. "You're a kind of power he had within. Power without restraint, without any compassion...that is no power at ALL! I will fight you. WE will fight you. And we will win. Nobody else need die today." He proclaimed, pointing upwards.

Alex merely blinked, and with a flick of his fingers, the air pressure crushed the robot's pointing arm. "IF YOU TRY YOUR LITTLE POSSESSION TRICK ON ME, YOU WILL FIND UNIMAGINABLE PAIN!" He laughed, and then he began to cross the room, moving towards the bioroid.

Staccato jumped forward, drawing a rainbow-colored plasma saber with his other hand and slicing downward at Alex. "Don't make me harm you!" He insisted.

Alex quickly jumped back, smirking. "PROVE THAT YOU **CAN!**" He snarled.

Meanwhile, White had found Echo at long last. It had taken some zooming through the town, but he'd located her.

Staccato swirled around, slashing with the beam saber and then leaping up through the air, air-dashing over Alex, then quickly spinning around and grabbing Alex's head. "I WILL stop you." He said, focusing his power. "You feed on PAIN, vile? Then let me share with you the pain of those you inflicted it upon!" He roared out, his one hand glowing brightly.

Staccato focused as best he could, but unfortunately his attempt to make the "Not-Alex" feel the pain Alex had dealt to others was half-hearted due to him losing his arm. He reeled back, staggering to his feet as he held the stump that was his other. "God...take pity on Alex Hardie, I beg of you..." He prayed sadly, tears brimming in his eyes. "Have mercy on his eternal soul..."

"GOD FAVORS HIM NOT! OTHER THAN HIS BODY, HE HAS NO TIES TO THE UNIVERSE, NOT EVEN AN AURA!" Wanton Rage spat.

"My God accepts all who ask for forgiveness...even one who thinks himself a monster can gain acceptance." Staccato said gently. "He is a part of our ohana and we will not let you turn him into a shell for which to hold a monster." He told the horrid thing before him, his brilliant emerald eyes defiant but mournful.

"I DON'T SEEK FORGIVENESS, BUT THE GODS WE HAVE MET HAVE REGARDED US WITH HATEFUL EYES." The dark rage within Alex hissed, folding his arms.

"There can be...some awful gods...out...there." Staccato panted. "Ergh...darn it, you hurt me worse than I thought...White, where ARE you?" He wondered out loud.

"I **WONDER** WHAT A LITTLE MORE GRAVITY WOULD DO TO THAT TIN CAN YOU CALL A **BODY?**" The dark rage of Alex wondered, an amused expression on his twisted face as he increased gravity just on the robot in front of him, stretching one hand.

"I...will...not...beg...nor plead..." Staccato gasped as he was forced to his knees. "Except for mercy FOR you..."

"AS YOU WISH." Alex decided as he continued the increase of gravity, there was nothing the robot could do to harm him

"Alex?"

Echo's voice called out from across the room...she was in White's arms. "Alex, what're ya doin'?"

The possessed Briton turned around, his now-white spheres locking onto the girl. "Why have you brought her?" He inquired softly.

"Alex, please stop." Echo spoke up. "C'mon, this isn't like you. This is the kind of thing a creepy villain does in a thriller movie, NOBODY likes those guys." She asked. "Can't you go back to being the cool anti-hero I looked up to?"

"YOUR FRIEND IS DEAD." He snapped coldly. Lifting a shard of glass, he hurled it at her, only to have it shatter before reaching her. A puzzled expression crossed his face, and then puzzlement became realization.

"Do you know the significance of the crystal he gave you Echo?" He asked quietly.

Echo blinked, looking down at the crystal which she now had wrapped around her wrist in a wristband. "No...why?" She asked.

"I think you can reach him." White realized. "And I know what might help calm him down..." He added. "Perhaps a little present from "Blue Hawaii"..." He handed Echo an aloha lei on the spot.

"It seems he imbued that crystal with energy to protect you from anything he could possibly do…" The possessed Alex mumbled, rubbing his chin.

"Alright..." Echo whimpered, stepping forward clutching the lei and going up to Alex, looking into his eyes. Please let him be in there somewhere, she hoped.

Bending down to meet her eyes, he spoke in a voice much more softly than before. "Alex loves you dearly, enough that he would create something with enough power to protect you!" A thin smile crept across his lips "For that reason, I'm going to give him back, just this once, but remember, the two of us will always be waiting to take control!" There was a splattering noise as the ribcage unfolded, revealing the machete and necklace within. Once they had returned to their places upon his body, the skin and bones began to re-fuse. But the second they had, Alex through his head back screaming. The color had returned to his eyes, but his body was flickering between human and experiment.

"Alex?" Echo grabbed ahold of Alex's arms as the change unfurled. "Alex, c'mon, hear my voice...you're going to be okay! Calm down...calm down..." She said soothingly, her voice as beautiful and soft as her father's.

Alex looked at her for a second, and the flickering stopped. His body slowly returned to human, and he embraced Echo, smiling happily.

White spoke up. "Ace…he wasn't joking. This wasn't some twisted attempt to screw with our minds. I had thought he was kidding but…we weren't watching a recording." He mumbled. Then he bit his lip and began to do something they'd never seen him do…

Cry.

"Niihau's GONE. Just..._GONE_..." He whispered hoarsely.

"THAT LITTLE PARASITE! He just destroyed one of the planets most pure islands…I bet he wouldn't have launched them if his son had been on the island!" Alex snarled, letting go of Echo. Alex's eyes widened for a second, and then his face turned into a dark smile "I just had an idea!"

"Well, Gavrilo happens to be in another part of this place…in the ONLY room in this place that's got a temporal blocking shield up in it." White said angrily, jabbing his thumb to the far right. "I couldn't port inside...but I KNOW I heard Chops kids inside...and I KNOW Gavrilo has something planned for them."

"Grendella's in there too." Staccato said. "I overheard communications from Gavrilo to Jack on a frequency channel. Jack plans to kill her eventually after he's finished with the others on his little "hit list"..."

"I, uh, don't think it would be to good if Sandy saw me…" Alex mumbled.

"You're going to kill him...aren't you?" Echo asked quietly.

"No no no , it's just that, well LOOK." His form began to shrink, clothing fusing into skin and fur. Retracting his antennae he asked "look familiar?" He asked.

"Oh! You kinda look like Stitch!" Echo realized.

"And what about now?" he asked. His genetics changed, fingers retracted, the edges softened out, the pupils filled his eyes, and the fur pigment changed.

"Now you look EXACTLY like him." Echo remarked.

"Precisely, if Sandy catches eye of me he'll LOSE it!" he said, returning to his human form. Lifting Echo in his arms, he handed her to Michael.

"Go and help them, I'll see if I can find Jack." he sighed "This is why i tried to decline Darth's offer."

Michael took Echo in his arms but then Staccato spoke up. "Just because you might not have "the faith" doesn't mean we don't have faith in you, Mr. Hardie." He said gently. "If nothing else, believe that we believe in you."

"…thank you Michael." Alex said quietly. "I appreciate your words."

White didn't object to being called "Michael". Not THIS time. He nodded.

"Sorry about your arms, by the way. I think its subconscious, me and machines don't…get along." Alex apologized to Staccato, who shrugged.

"I'll be fine. I simply hope Grey's alright." Staccato wondered. "Kila and Zim are up to something with him, but I'm not sure what of. Their body language had such…there was so much inner pain they were trying to hide…"

"Grey? Gone?" White gasped. He quickly placed Echo in Myr's arms…and was gone.

…Grey and Green awoke to see Zim and Kila standing over them inside their lab, both dressed in labcoats.

"It's time we settled things forever." Kila said softly.

"We're ending it. All of it…fixing our mistakes. NOW." Zim remarked coldly, looking over at Green.

Meanwhile, Patch awoke to find herself among the dead. She gasped in horror at the sight of Sandy pushing huge chunks of building off the hulking frame of the fully-transformed Senkoukura, who had transformed in an attempt to shield as much of his people as possible from the laser blasts. Sadly even HE had succumbed and now his beautiful blue eyes were faded and without the spark of life.

The smell of rotting flesh was heavy in the air as Patch felt tears rise in her eyes. King snarled angrily as Dr. PL tossed his medical kit to the side. "It's no use!" He yelled angrily as he looked down on the charred form of Makani, who's once-beautiful white fur had been blackened, chunks of flesh ripped off as he'd desperately tried to use his air-pressure-control powers to halt the flow of the lasers. "He's gone! I can't help them!"

"And I know no white magic." King whispered quietly. "I don't think anything can be done for these people." He mumbled as he looked out over the carnage. The charred and blackened bodies hung from trees, clung to poles…

"I don't know how to tell you this, but…your dating days are over." Esmeralda remarked, holding a skull up.

"GALLOWS HUMOR?" Draco snarled.

"Dad…what else can I do? Look at all of these bodies…" She whispered. "Gallows humor is the only thing keeping me SANE!"

"I just saw a person looking for their own HANDS in the ruined wreck of a school." Sandy mumbled sadly. "Who DID this?" He demanded to know as he looked out over the scattered black and white forms along the landscape. The buildings were shattered and charred like the bones of those who had been caught in the line of fire, and those that were burnt to charry tones were quick-dried bones, lying still on the ground, never to move again.

"Dear GOD, it smells AWFUL here…_KOKAMI_!" Esmeralda hissed, kneeling by a figure of a mother and her child. "The only GOOD thing I can think of that's come from this is that there were no HUMAN casualties. If there had been…we wouldn't be gaining so much sympathy on the news." She muttered hatefully, looking down at a portable TV.

"They are praying in St. Peter's Square. But…prayer won't bring 2,400 experiments back to life." King said solemnly, shaking his head.

"More like 2,150 but who's counting?" Dr. PL muttered, holding his head in his hands.

Patch walked past the bodies, one after another, going towards the center of the island. A feeling had entered her…a sense of purpose. King turned his scaly head, eyes widening when he realized what she planned to do.

"Patchricia, you cannot do that!" He yelled. "You don't have the power to…"

"Maybe not BEFORE…but **NOW**…I think I **DO**." Patch told them all solemnly, lifting her paws up into the air, body glowing as a beautiful halo surrounded her head. She rose up on a pillar of white and gold light, sparkling stars rising around her.

They all gasped as her body EXPLODED, sending out a shockwave that rippled over the island of Niihau, spreading out, washing over like blessed rain. One by one charred bodies that had been nothing but hulking, roasted muscle and guts became covered in flesh and fur, returning to normal. Eyes opened once again, limbs twitched…people returned to life.

Gasping in joy, eyes filling with happy tears, Sandy hugged Peleka and Kuko tightly as Senkoukura shrank to his tiny size, looking around and seeing his people rise back up to normal. "Oh joy of JOYS…" He gasped in awe. "My children…are returned to me!"

"And MINE'S being taken away from me!" Dr. PL sobbed, clinging to Patch's shriveled-looking body as she moaned, holding his paw.

"I see…" King whispered quietly, sorrowfully as he approached and sat down next to her. "It was too much of a strain…she was too young to try something like this and is reaping the whirlwind for it…"

"For the love of God, King…my daughter's dying in agony!" Dr. PL screamed, sobbing tearfully as he clung more tightly to Patch.

King's golden eyes closed slowly, and the let out a long sigh. "Oh Patch…" He whispered softly, tears brimming in his eyes. "My most wonderful student…I'm so sorry…I **KNOW** there's something more than just this world." He told her gently, taking her in his arms. "Breathe deeply. Don't be afraid. Just close your eyes." He told her.

Patch gripped her father's paw tightly while the other held her teacher's arm. She closed her eyes as King gently lowered himself over her and she felt him kiss her lips. Something dripped into her mouth and for a moment she felt a sting of pain, but then…

_Peace_…

Her breathing came to a stop and King stood back up, looking down on the peaceful look she now had on her face. "I gave her kindness." He murmured, looking away as he handed her back to her father, who rocked her back and forth. The Magician covered his face, ashamed that he could have done no more.

A form descended from the sky on strong wings, a burning red dragon with eyes aglow. His fiery red crests becoming spiky hair, his vibrant neon green eyes blazing as he landed. "Patch? PATCH?" He yelled, rushing to her side and shaking her. "Patch!"

"It's too late. She couldn't take the pressure of bringing all those people to life." King muttered. "You…you BROUGHT her here, didn't you? You KNEW that this would happen?"

Vassago nodded, looking distraught. "I…I PRETENDED to be on their side so I could keep a close eye on her…so that I could make sure she was safe and that, when the time came, she could make things right! But…but I didn't think so many would…I didn't see THIS happening! She…she was supposed to **live**…" He whispered. "How can I forgive myself?"

"You didn't truly join the side of evil. It was a PRETEND betrayal." King said gently, placing his triple-clawed hand on Vassago's jacketed shoulder.

"But she'll never **KNOW** that!" The Tower screamed back at him, fists clenched as gestured at her still body. "She'll never **KNOW**! She'll…never…_know_…"

He sank to his knees and held his head. He wanted to try so badly…but he could not. Tears were a gift from God. He didn't deserve the right to feel sorrow.

HE deserved to be dead…not Patch…

"We all saw that burst of life magic. We have to know…is everyone alive and okay?" Nick asked as he called Sandy up on his cell phone.

"…not everyone." Sandy mumbled, looking over at Patch's still form. "…not everyone…"


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

_Is it true that nice guys finish last?_

_I believe this happens because the nice guys are making sure those that fall behind don't get LEFT behind. So I can live with that._

_But do the bad guys really always win?_

_…naaaaaaah._

Zim and Kila were looking down at Grey…

A swirling energy portal behind them in their laboratory.

"We've made our decision." Kila said.

"It's time we made things right and got rid of our mistakes for GOOD." Zim went on. "Starting with YOU." He snapped, looking down at Green.

Green's eyes were glazed over. She looked dead inside…shattered. A mistake…her own parents thought she was a mistake?

"Kila…I was willing…to let a lot of things go. I didn't freak out when you accidentally set the coffee room on fire at Star Command when I was delivering guava juice to the LGMS. I didn't yell at you for stomping on my toes five times when we danced to Nena. I didn't hate you for choosing Zim over me. But what I WON'T…**EVER…****FORGIVE** is if you call Green a "mistake"!" Grey howled, getting up and clenching his clawed fists so deeply he drew **blood.**

Kila gave him a cold smile and spoke seductively. "You really want to take me on to protect her?" She inquired evilly.

"I'LL deal with them." Zim laughed, clenching his fists. A dark aura surrounded him and Grey frowned darkly as he rose into the air, using his Umbrakinesis, or control of darkness. He was now emblazoned in dark energy that seeped into his body, making his ungloved hands become totally black and sharp and hard like diamonds.

"The CALVARY is here!" White announced, teleporting inside the room as Green scooted back. "I was worried about you, "nephew".' He laughed, patting Grey on the back.

"White, you have a plan?" Grey asked, turning to look at him with some annoyance...he didn't like White's creepy habit of popping outta nowhere.

"Yeah, I do. Do you trust me?" White inquired.

"Barely." Grey snapped.

"That'll DO, pig." White snapped back.

"So what IS your plan?" Grey demanded to know.

White smiled a little. A feral, horrid grin and the color black began to creep over his skin, rising up from his toes to spread across the rest of his body. "Stand back, Grey…" He warned the part-experiment human mixed breed as his face began to be covered in the darkness. "This WON'T be pretty." He added, his eyes becoming pure emerald and more like slits.

"Are you trying to SCARE me?" Zim laughed, pointing at him as he hovered in the air forming shadow-covered spiked BOOTS as well. "ZIM knows no FEAR!"

"You WILL, Zim." Pitch Black whispered, cracking his knuckles. "You REALLY will…"

THWOCKA!

He sent Zim reeling back with a punch and smirked, as Zim struggled to his feet. "FILTHY **HALFLING!**" Zim hissed, holding up his clawed hands.

"Hold that pose!" White laughed as Zim blasted a swirling, fireball-shaped wave of shadowy energy. Fist glowing pink, he clenched it tightly and Zim was suspended momentarily in time, going "URK" in a horrid gasp of surprise.

THWUNKA! White struck him over the top of Zim's head, jumping down from above and grinning. "Nobody does it…QUITE like **I** do!" He laughed, getting into a fighting pose, snapping his fingers, tapping one foot on the ground as if hearing some musical rhythm flowing through the laboratory.

"ENOUGH!" Zim snarled, surrounding himself with a dark, pulsing black shield as he swayed his arms. "No more holding BACK." He stated, eyes becoming red slits, claws clenching.

He rose up into the air, his claws burning with black flame as a pillar of black ooze shot out into the laboratory and cracks ripped through the wall, pieces of floor hovering up through the air on shadowy tentacles as his eyes became bloodshot and a horrid expression of feral joy filled his features.

_No more holding back, huh?_ White thought with a smirk. "FINE…"

FWOOOOM!

"BY…"

THWOOOM!

"ME!" He laughed, hi fist rising to Zim's face.

THOOOOMMMMHHHPFFFF!

"…WOAH." Green gasped. "You just hit him at the speed of LIGHT?" She asked.

"Yep." White said as Zim's body, now encased deep in a crater in the walls, twitched as he moaned horridly in immense pain while Kila ran to peel him out. "Relativistic effects take over when a body approaches lightspeed. Visual input begins to blue shift and the mass of my body rapidly increases towards INFINITY." He explained. "In short…going super fast equals a helluva punch." He bragged, gesturing with one hand at Zim.

Kila tried to tug Zim out of the wall and succeeded, then glared as she turned on Grey. "I HAVE to settle things. I just HAVE to."

"…so…it comes to this." Grey said quietly, getting into a fighting pose. "I had hoped it would NEVER-EVER come to this."

"…I kinda had hoped the same." Kila admitted softly. "You always seemed to accept me as a good friend no matter what stuff I did to you."

"You really wanna fight me?" Grey asked.

"Want to? No. But I'm gonna." She said, getting into a battle position, extending her black claws.

Grey frowned and then sighed.

_**Girl…there's something 'bout me that you oughta know…**_

Kila blinked as Grey placed one hand on his chest and continued singing.

_**I've never felt the need to lose controoool! Always held on back and played it slow…**_

He then raised a claw in the air and waved it back and forth, smirking a little.

_**But noooot this tiii-iiiiime!**__  
_  
He held out one hand, smiling broadly.

_**Baby don't be gennntle, I can handle any-thing!**_

Kila dove at him, foot held high to strike, but Grey sidestepped and swirled around, kicking her back_**. Ba-by, take me on a jour-ney, I've been thinkin' late-ly I could use…a little time alone with you!**_He sang as he twirled around on his hands, rushing towards Kila, who dove to the side and held up her hands, which burnt rapidly.

She dove back at him after jumping into the air but he jumped over her, still singing. _**Cra-zy, let's do something may-be, please don't take your time…**__  
_  
He landed and then spread out his arms as he looked at her and smiled_. __**You've got me right-where-you-want-me! **__  
_  
Clenching his fists, he jumped forward and slammed them into the ground, causing a rippling shockwave of floor that Kila barely jumped over. She reached into her labcoat, pulling out a Hypercortisone X inhaler and taking a deep puff, then held up her paws as fire formed above them and her eyes glowed. She launched the fireballs at Grey, who jumped over them and landed in front of her, holding her hands down and smiling gently in her face.

_**Girl…I'm gonna let you have your way with me…**_

Puddingsack raced around his neck, and he gasped.

_**But when you move like that it's hard to BREATHE!**_He gasped out, chopping down on Puddingsack and cutting one of it's "heads" off. It shrieked and reeled back as Grey rolled away, then jumped back up, concentrating as he held his hands up, his eyes becoming white with a blood-red tint, his fur becoming black…

_**I never thought that it could be like this…but IIII was wroooong! **__  
_  
Kila frowned a little as Ele Hiwa stood there, pointing at her with a big and nasty grin. _**Baby, don't be gennnntle, I can handle any-thing! **__  
_  
He jumped forward with almost impossible speed and it took all Kila's strength just to duck and dive as he swung at her with his claws over and over. _**Ba-by, take me on a jour-ney, I've been thinkin' late-ly I could use…a little time alone with you!**_

He then kicked her up into the air, getting a good hit on her and laughed. _**Cra-zy, let's do something may-be, please don't take your time…**__  
_  
He jumped up into the air, appearing above her and SLAMMING his fists down into her chest, making her form a small crater in the floor as he then landed on top of her with his taloned feet, giving her a horrid grin. _**You've got me right-where-you-want-me! **_

SNATCH!

Puddingsack grabbed the Hypercortisone Inhaler and took a puff itself, then wrapped around his leg. He was slammed into the floor and wall over and over with a THUNKA-THUNKA-THUNKA.  
_  
__**Can't-ex-plain-it, how-you-swept-me off my feet, un-ex-pectantly! **__  
_  
He was tossed through the air, but re-righted himself, striking a pose. _**In-such-mo-tion, my imagination's runnin' tryin' to keep my body still! Ohhh!**_

He landed expertly, claws clenching and clenching eagerly as he grinned. _**I can hardly stand the THRILL! Oh yeaaaah, yeaaaah…**__  
_  
He then stood up nearly and closed his eyes, which became grayish/white with a blue tint on the end, his body becoming white and his claws and talons fading into nubs. _**Baby, don't be gennnntle, I can handle any-thing! **__  
_  
Kila snarled and launched more fireballs at him with a cry of "FLAME ON!" Kuali held up his hands and glowing white shields formed that negated the attacks, making them dissapate into sparks. _**Ba-by, take me on a jour-ney, I've been thinkin' late-ly I could use…a little time alone with you!**_

Kila growled angrily. No more kid stuff!

_**Cra-zy, let's do something may-be, please don't take your time…**_

He placed his hands on his chest as Kila raised her paws up, forming a burning black and red ball of flame that sizzled and hissed, making the temperature in the room spike up rapidly and making her body sweat as her eyes glowed like hot coals. _**You've got meeeee!**_

She launched it at him and he held up his glowing hands, CATCHING it…then launching it right back.

THA-BOOOOOOM!

She groaned and her body hit the floor as Kuali nodded. **  
**_**You've got meeee right-where-you-want-me!**_He finished up.

Kila held her head as Puddingsack whimpered a little. "OWWWW…that HURT."

"OW that HURT?" Grey inquired.

The portal began to wail horribly as energy began to pour out from it's sides. Rushing over to it, Kila and Zim went to the console on it's side, trying to fix it…

"It's no good!" Kila yelled.

"Hellloooo? Fight scene? Not finished?" Grey inquired loudly, waving his arm.

Kila turned around and Grey's playfulness died away at seeing the expression on her face. There was real hurt in her eyes, blaring out strong like a headlight. She and Zim held each other tightly as they walked in front of the portal, still facing Grey, White and Green all the while.

"…mommy?...daddy?" Green whimpered.

"Grey…" Kila spoke softly, barely a whisper. "Take care of her."

Zim looked at Grey then, giving him an expression that the "mutt" couldn't quite decipher. Eyes almost…on the verge of tears…he suddenly seemed so OLD…

And with that, they stepped into the portal backwards at the same time and were lost.

…

…

…

…Spectra smirked as she slowly trudged her way down the hallway from where her father and the Devil had been not that long ago. Samael had given her fresh orders lately and she had to fulfill the-

Hmm. Esmeralda was there, standing alongside Draco.

"Hey BITCH. I see you recovered faster than I thought you would from that purgatory Staccato gave you." Esmeralda snarled.

"My master helped ease it along." Spectra laughed as she held up her arms and focused them into sharp, pinpoint blades. Rushing along the hallway she stabbed them forward and Draco and Esmeralda barely ducked in time. Cleaving the hallway in two, Spectra forced them back further and further through the underground base they were within. "HOW-DID-YOU-FIND-US-SO-QUICKLY?"

"I TOLD." Esmeralda laughed. "And I gotta say…it feels good." She added, jumping forward and kicking Spectra back.

Spectra snarled as she held her nose, then let go of it as it elongated out into a snake, a black mamba specifically. It struck Draco on the arm and he howled as he staggered back, snarling and diving into his belt. "I've got potions for this, take care of her!" He told Esmeralda.

Nodding, Esmeralda tackled the horrid witch and they barreled through the base to the toilet, and Spectra shoved Esmeralda's head inside, trying to drown her. What she DIDN'T expect was that Esmeralda would push the flush button, then get a good jab into her crotch. Reeling back, Spectra found herself and Esmeralda in the same room she'd been in earlier before, only now Samael and Spooky were gone.

"So…what are you doing here?"

"Samael was angry with my dad." Spectra explained. "He called him a miserable old fool because he let Patch escape."

"Ooooh. Not smart, trusting Vassago. Spooky really wasn't a brainy type." Esmeralda admitted.

"And you know what I did?" Spectra laughed, transforming into a evil facsimile of Esmeralda, only without her clothes, wearing a thorny crown, blood dripping fresh from her mouth as an ornate necklace made of tongues and teeth hung around her neck, imitating and mocking Esmeralda from when she had been "Satanico". "I KILLED that miserable old fool."

Esmeralda's mouth hung open slightly. Her mouth then shut tight into a single, taut line.

"Samael told me to do it. His punishment for letting Patch get away and cure so many of the disease of DEATH was…**DEATH**!" Spectra laughed. "As to HOW I did it, let me put it THIS way…he was **DELICIOUS**." She went on.

Esmeralda's fists clenched up tightly.

"And now…I've killed YOUR father too…and then I'm gonna kill YOU." She added, smirking broadly and giving Esmeralda a wink. "In your very own old FORM, no less!"

"Bitch…you have SO got to DIE!" Esmeralda snarled, rushing forward. The two of them grappled in place. Evil versus slightly evil. Pitiless versus pitiable. Two beauties hiding beasts within, one already unleashed, one kept at bay. Who would win?

Satanico/Spectra sneered…

Esmeralda got an idea…she played dirty…and BIT the side of Satanico/Spectra's neck, thrusting her head forward and leaping off the ground slightly. As the spooky succubus held her neck, Esmeralda's clawed hands shot forth and…

**SCHPLUCK!-SCHPLUCK!**

...

…

…

…Draco walked in, rubbing his arm. "Well, the antivenin worked like a-uhhhhh…Ezzy? Did you just…"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! AAAUUUUUHHHH! **BITCH!**"Spectra howled, lashing around and flailing on the ground as blood stained her face and fur and the floor around her. "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU F—KING BITCH!"

"…did you actually…" Draco went on.

"YOU BITCH! YOU F—KING BITCH!" Specta screamed, knocking into several of the walls and wailing.

"Yep." Esmeralda said, dropping them to the ground and squishing them beneath her feet.

"DIIIIIE! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU **BITCH**, YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

"…this is just **sad.**" Draco muttered, holding his head as Spectra slammed her fists against the wall and staggered around. "I admit she deserves this, but the way she's carrying on is just SAD."

"WHERE ARE YOU! **YOU F—KING BITCH!**"

"Let's go." Esmeralda decided, sighing slightly.

They nodded and headed out of the room as Spectra wailed and slammed her arms against the floor.

**"GAAAAUUUUUUH! YOOOOOU BIIIIIITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU F—KING BIIIIIIITCH!"**

And then the roof collapsed above her, shutting her whining up forever.

…

…

…

…Page had finished his recitations and was standing there in black and white priestly garb as everyone stood around Ace's coffin. Nick, Lilo, Grey, Green were to the right of the coffin, with Page at the front, with Charlie helping him. To the back of the coffin was Draco, arms folded across his chest, frowning deeply, and to the left of the coffin were Chopsuey, Carmen, Rupert and Ariel.

Jumba was oddly quiet as he stood behind Lilo, with Pleakley standing by White, holding onto Sari's hand. That threesome were standing by Junior, who stood at Pele's coffin with Darth, while Myr and Nacht stood by Hiaka and King was standing by Bartok with Vassago.

Patch's funeral had taken place earlier in the day and Nick was partially loathe to commit any more people he knew into the ground. Spectra's body had been…they couldn't do anything remotely like an open-casket funeral for HER corpse OR Ace's...

Ace had not been fully strangled by Alex. He had run. A certain blue imp had met him in the hallway and they had found him, hands and bladed tail held behind his body, a "Who, me" expression on his face as Ace's bbody laid on the ground, introduced forcefully to the concept of what Snizzi called "Stabbin' time".

Nick hated this life he had sometimes. So much power and he couldn't…

Lilo began to speak. "Ah-hem. Experiment 262 was created and considered an accident at-"

"Don't say it, Lilo." Draco spoke up.

"Experiment 262 was an accident at first to Jumba, but proved to be-"

"_Dooooon't_ do this, Lilo." Draco spoke up again, one eyebrow raised.

"Proved himself to be heroic and noble time and time-"

**"Just STOP it, Lilo."** Draco finally snapped, eyes glimmering.

"I thought you weren't going to say anything while the Empress gave this eulogy, Chariot!" Nick snapped.

"You do **SO** live up to thy title, Fool." Draco Heartwing snapped. "I thought you were both smarter than this."

"This is not the time nor place for actions like this-" Lilo began.

**"It's the perfect FUCKING time!"**" Myr snarled. "Frankly I feel the same way he does! You are giving a FUCKING eulogy to a FUCKING mass murderer! If this was HITLER in the coffin I would PISS on him! **I'd drop my pants and PISS on him!**"

"He's not the only bloody one." Alex added.

"What do you want me to say." Lilo said stonily. Not a question. A statement. "Say that we should have killed him earlier, back when we knew he was in the "Clan"? Murdered him in his sleep maybe? Can't you show respect to the dead?" She finally asked, eyes narrowing.

"Not THIS one." White snapped. "I'm glad that Snizzi did what he did. He DESERVED to get ripped open from the inside."

"We have got to rise above our petty vindictiveness." Nick spoke up. "We've got to-"

"No. You're wrong. And I don't say that often, Nick." Nacht interrupted. "This is another perfect time when your biggest strength has become your biggest weakness. Your compassion, your **HEART**. He murdered…in cold blood…thousands of innocent people. And WHY did he do it? In a sick attempt to bring "peace" about to our kind. He tried to justify genocide. THERE IS NO JUSTFICATION. THERE IS NEVER ANY." He hissed. "I do not admire this leopard for changing his spots, I DESPISE him more than I ever could have before! What he did was beyond the pale!"

Draco went on. "Yes, let's just FORGET that he killed thousands of innocent experiments. Let's just FORGET that he deceived all of us into believing he was a good, sweet do-gooder who only was looking out for our best interests. Let's just FORGET that he tried to kill Sari and Pleakley! BEHOLD! WE ARE THE SAINTS WHO CAN RISE ABOVE IT ALL!" Draco snarled, holding his hands up in the air. _"No, I don't think so."_ He said softly, dangerously.

"I can't think such evil thoughts of Ace." Lilo said. "Not the ones that are in your head and heart right now. Do you know why?" She asked.

They were all silent. Lilo cleared her throat, then spoke up again, walking around the body as she continued to speak. "All of us want to believe in heroes. That good wins over evil. That truly **good** people are incapable of doing bad things. Ace was one of those people we believed in, because he was good from the start, one of the few who WERE. And he had to live with a stigma every single day at the lab from his family…he was a failure to his own father. But to us, here in Hawaii…he was hope, he was justice, and he was good. And that is how I will always remember him. He saved people from burning buildings, cats from trees, and kids from being run over."

"That does not EXCUSE what he was done here!" Draco screamed. "And I place some blame on HUMANS for this too! Do you know WHY?" He leveled a finger at Lilo. "Because Ace did this BECAUSE of humans…because they can be IGNORANT IDIOTS at best and RACIST FUCKS at worst when it comes to dealing with experiments!"

"Human life is sacrosanct and untouchable, ours is not. Experiments were "created", we are science projects, we DO NOT MATTER." Nacht went on. "This DISGUSTING idea is so utterly pedestrian. They thought we are mere monsters, incapable of shedding tears!"

"Don't you talk like we don't matter!" Chopsuey screamed. "Senkoukura was trying to bridge the gap between human and experimentkind!"

"And he DIED doing so!" White yelled back, snarling furiously, face filled with fury, body turning utterly black, eyes becoming green. "Patch will NEVER return! She sacrificed herself to bring all those dead innocent back but an innocent little girl is DEAD because Ace was right! They hated experiments before Niihau happened! HATED! And yet…" He turned to Lilo. "You…you have always taught compassion and that ALL life is sacred. All are _ohana_ to you!"

"But what if the world just CAN'T LISTEN!" Draco went on. "What if it couldn't have understood the pain experimentkind felt without something as awful as this? What Ace did was utterly SICK and I despise him for it, but I despise the humans just as much! Maybe we should rain some destruction down on them too. An eye for an eye!"

"Then they might HONESTLY know how much suffering my kind's put up with!" Nacht ended. "Is it so wrong to lash out at Ace and the humans after all they've done?"

Lilo was silent. Everyone looked intently at her, awaiting an answer. And then they got it.

"Yes. Yes it is." Lilo spoke, looking up from the ground.

"Are you honestly that sure?" Draco asked, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes, brows furrowed.

"I've never been otherwise." Lilo went on. "You posit that because people have been insulted, mocked, hunted and murdered, that EXCUSES us to cause pain and suffering upon others? It doesn't. If you believe that because people are IGNORANT to the part they play in sinister schemes of horror like Niihau, and that to awaken them to your plight, you must forfeit their lives…that is wrong." She placed her fists on her hips, eyes gleaming. "If you think I believe I am WRONG to believe in peace, if I regret my choices, I do **not**."

"Perhaps Ace got their attention with what he did! But they most are still hurt and angry with us and they CANNOT listen! They cannot HEAR!" Nick said, stretching his arms out. "Don't you freaking GET it? What Ace did was WRONG! What many humans think of experimentkind is WRONG! But you are acting no better than they are by being so cold and cruel to him now that he is dead, or in suggesting experiments should be monstrous to humans!" Nick went on, clenching his fist, then holding his hand up. "We're not MONSTERS, we're not GODS, we have no right to make decisions like that! To even SUGGEST we try and "share the pain" like you just did is **immoral and wrong! TO MEET EVIL WITH MORE EVIL IS ****FUCKING**** WRONG AND I CANNOT, I ****WILL NOT**** CONDONE…**"

Nick began to quiver, tears springing into his eyes. _"I just…I won't…I won't condone cruelty in response to cruelty…what you're saying about Ace is wrong…what you want to do to the humans for possibly CAUSING this…that is wrong too. I don't want to live in a world like that…and I don't think YOU want to either…not deep down." _

Everyone was quiet. Nobody said a single word as the wind blew people's hair to and fro and a couple blinks were the only movements that took place on the blasted, black plains of Niihau. Then Draco spoke up.

"Do you think you're "Gandhi"?" He asked them. "Whether knowingly or not, humans caused this by feeding the flames of racism and fear! If they hadn't hated as much as they had, Ace wouldn't have felt the need to do what he did! Let me kick his body into a pulp, stand aside!" He demanded, sweeping his arm.

"No!" Lilo shouted. "We can't give into racism and cruelty! There's POWER in peace!"

"Racism didn't end for the black when Martin Luther King was assassinated!" Draco hissed, holding up two swords.

"That's enough!" Rupert spoke up. "I know more about death than every single one of you! I feel the ripples of death running through my veins every time another "me" is killed off and the ripple tears through my essence! We must stop seeking to spread death, dragoon!" He demanded of Draco. "No, racism didn't end, but it MAY one day! Even now children as black as Martin Luther King are enjoying freedoms they never had hundreds of years ago! Experiments have RIGHTS! They never had rights before!"

"BUT OUR KIND ARE DYING **NOW!**" Nacht screamed, getting in Rupert's face. "Our right to EXIST was ignored constantly and is still being ignored in so many places, even as we speak!"

"If you don't stop this…" King spoke up calmly, sadly. "I'll have to make you go away." He whispered, holding up his claws as they glowed, a single tear slipping out of his golden eyes and going down his scaly green cheeks as he aimed them at Nacht.

Draco had two sword tips inches from Lilo and Nick. "Will you not even fight back and defend your own life? The only way to stop me is to kill me. Will you not even do that to save your OWN lives?"

"No." Lilo said. "Not if it means others should suffer or die."

Nick shook his head. No. He wouldn't either.

They all waited. And then finally they saw it…Draco was crying. He dropped the swords and covered his face with a single arm. "…I don't WANT you to die." He whispered. "But I don't want to keep waiting for change. I want there to be peace NOW. If so many of us want that…why doesn't it happen?"

"Because the minority that we're against are very loud, very persistent, and very big." Nick told him. "But we're faster. And we don't get scared as easily as they do when they see our numbers. Eventually peace WILL come."

"Everything will be alright." Rupert spoke up.

Nacht helped Draco up as Lilo turned to Ace. "Well…I don't know what else we can say." She mumbled.

"Me neither." Nick said. "Let's just lay them in the ground." He added.

"So…nothing to say, Ace?" Jumba asked the body.

Silence. Utter silence.

"…no. I suppose you wouldn't have had anything." He mumbled.

…

…

…

… Green was clinging to herself as she sobbed over and over, the tears falling down to the ground and sizzling into nothingness. The fire curled around her body, grasping it's claws firmly. She could not move...she was too lost in sorrow, pain and anguish. Her mother and father were gone, and she...

She was a monster. Her own parents had not wanted to be around her. And she had murdered two innocent people and knew she would kill more. The power of the Phoenix couldn't be contained anymore.

She began to wail pitifully, closing her bloodshot eyes tightly as the flames rose up through the air, splitting open the laboratory she lay within.

"Green…" Alex called from above.

Green stiffened. She turned to look in the direction of the voice. "Who's there?" She called out.

Alex dropped from the ceiling behind her, crouching before raising his head.

Green turned to look at him. "Mr. Hardie...what are you doing here? Have you come to kill me?" She whimpered. "My own parents seem to think I'm a monster...they left me all alone. GIR is gone...Minimoose is gone...I've nobody now. Why did this happen?" She asked quietly. "Why didn't I get to have a crazy-long childhood like most of the spoiled brats in this town? Was I not meant to have a family?"

"Man, how does everyone know that this form's me?" Alex asked himself, shaking his head. Returning to his human form, he looked at Green. "I'm not going to kill you, even if I can still smell blood on you!" He walked up to her. "Your emotions are destroying you, but unlike me, yours aren't taking control."

He sighed. "I know your father through reputation, so what he has done doesn't surprise me. Your mother on the other hand I have never met, but if I do, she'll look at you in a different light…"

"Just leave me alone." Green sobbed. "The Phoenix's Curse inside of me is burning me up...and my mother and father have abandoned me and left to another dimension somewhere. All I wanted to do was make them proud of me and look what happened. Maybe I deserve to die for murdering Stitch and Angel...how can anyone forgive me for that?"

Alex leaned down to speak in her ear. "I can". He whispered. "Because I've committed far worse crimes."

Green turned and looked up at him as another person came in...it was Grey. "Green...I know what you're going through is hard, and I can't promise I'll be the perfect dad. But I'll be there. For everything. And I'll do whatever I can. And because you're ohana, I can find it my heart to forgive you for what you've done as well...and also because..."

He smiled gently and lifted Green off the ground. "It's what Stitch and Angel would have wanted."

Green blinked a few times, then spoke. "...I wanna go home."

"Okay, I'll take you back to the hotel you were-"

"No..." Green sobbed quietly. "I wanna go **home.**"

Grey felt tears enter his eyes as he held her close to his chest. _"Me too baby...me too."_ He whispered, patting her on the back.

**Author's Note:**

**Writing this chapter made me cry.**

**...that's all I'll say.  
**


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

_I suppose that one could end the story right here._

_But that's such a downer. And that's now how the story ends._

_But sometimes I wonder...maybe the best stories are the ones unfinished..._

_And there are many that are. Your own has not yet been completed. You're still alive, aren't you?_

_Heh. I think back to some old advice. Whether you have a happy ending to your story or not..._

_Is entirely up to you._

Junior Von Hamsterviel bowed deeply as he stood in the beautiful starry room as a beautiful bright blue sky swept over it. The main meeting room of the Major Arcana was now brilliantly lit up by a sun above the heads of it's members. Daveigh and Ashton cleared their throats as they spoke up.

"Junior von Hamsterviel, though you were not meant to uphold the position of "Death", you have most definitely proven yourself worthy of an equally great honor!" Daveigh told him. "You lucky dog...you get to be "Temperance"!"

"Temperance?" Junior inquired, red eyes blinking in confusion.

"Yes. Temperance." Ashton explained. "You seek to be involved in politics...you've always loved the two-party system the United States has." He told the rabbit/mouse/hamster/gerbil-esque experiment, holding up a scroll. "Two parties...meant to uphold balance. A balance of ideals. And Temperance is meant to uphold balance, to stand for equality and moderation. You are deserving of this honor."

"Take it." Daveigh told him as the scroll opened and a plain brown cup appeared on the scroll, hovering off the paper and solidifying from pen and ink to gopherwood. Junior took it in his paws, and sipped from the water within...and instantly the cup became a beautifully decorated chalice with many beautiful gemstones surrounding the rim, made of gold with silver letters carved into it that read "Temperance". When Junior looked down...the cup was not empty. Not even a tiny bit.

"That is for you to hold on. Hold your mood ring up to it." King told him gently, nodding his serpentine head.

Junior held the blue ring up to the chalice and the cup SWIRLED into the ring, making it glow for a moment before the ring returned to normal.

"That chalice shall restore wounds and bring physical and spiritual balance to all who drink from it. Welcome to the Major Arcana, number 14...Temperance!" King proclaimed, bowing deeply, respectfully.

Vassago bowed. Snizzi bowed. Daveigh and Ashton did the same, as did Nick and Lilo. Junior saw his father smile in utter pride and then hold his scythe up in salute, as Draco saluted with his sword, holding it in the air along with Hamsterviel. Page recited a prayer in Latin, praising the Lord as a blissful, warm feeling entered Junior. He was a member of the MA now. He felt...truly special.

…

…

…

...the purple-eyed Experimental American hacked and coughed, hitting the ground and panting heavily as his benefactor watched.

"You aren't looking too good." Samael told Jack as Jack desperately tried to stand back up. But his legs...they felt like JELLO. He barely able to stand!

"H-how? Th-th-this isn't supposed to happen!"

"You've been relying on the Hypercortisone X for far too long, Jack." Samael explained calmly as he laid back on the top of the rafters in the old barn he, Jack and Gavrilo were in. Gavrilo was slumbering on a bale of hay some distance away, sleeping peacefully, unaware of what his beloved Jack's condition was. "You NEED it to walk and do the murders in the fashion you're accustomed to." He remarked coldly. "Either that...or the cane." He added cheerfully, his bony wings stretching out to near-impossible lengths and snapping a cane-shaped chunk of barn wall in front of the gasping Jack.

"I...don't...want...to EVER go back!" Jack snarled, standing back up, though his legs kept quivering horridly.

"THAT'S my boy." Samael complimented, clapping his claws and standing up, floating down nonchalantly and patting Jack on the head. "You can have more of THIS..."

He held up his palm and in a burst of brimstone and oozy smoke that seemed to momentarily reach out to claw Jack's eyes out, a container of Hypercortisone X appeared. "If you do me a bit of a favor. You SEE..." Samael's black eyes glinted as he snapped his claws and the container vanished and he positioned himself in front of Jack, his upper pair of hands taking Jack's shoulder, his middle taking his arms, his lower pair placed upon his own hips. "Legion was a baaaaad boy. He TOLD. I don't LIKE that. Now he's going to pay a bit of a price. And the price is...quite high, I must admit. It's not Blue Light Special, not one bit."

Samael then smirked slightly. "Hah. That rhymed."

"What do you want me to do?" Jack asked.

"Ah, to-the-point. You're LEARNING." Samael laughed, patting Jack's chest with the seventh hand that sprung out from his own. "Well, at the moment, David Ko'ok'o, their son, happens to be in CALIFORNIA, in San Fran, doing a benefit concert to raise support for the Majesdanes, who are being ravaged by civil war...you're aware that he has those tattoos on his body? He says they "keep the Devil at bay"?"

"Yessss." Jack remarked.

Samael's grin was the work of demons. _"That's __**not**__ a metaphor..." _

…

…

…

… "It's a problem we need to...deal with." The Heirophant said, frowning as he crossed his arms, then held up the blue, inscribed stick. He then turned around to look Green over as Nick stood by her side with Grey. "We simply can't keep the Phoenix in there. It's far too dangerous."

"How did this thing even APPEAR?" Grey inquired.

"I was host to that power before." Nick admitted nervously. "I never told you the specifics...but many years an Irken named Reg, a reincarnated soul like Darth, cursed the Irken Empire and said that his power, the power of FIRE, would bring ruin to them all. He then transformed his soul into the monstrous thing known as the Phoenix..."

"...reborn as a GIRL?" Grey asked, tilting his head to the side, looking slightly disgusted.

"Yeah, it's not a good idea to think too hard about it." Nick admitted. "It WAS a disgusting transformation though..."

"As disgusting as the one I go through when I turn into that Phoenix?" Green asked nervously, tracing a line in the sands of the beach they now stood on.

"More so. But I won't go into it." Nick insisted. "We need to get the Phoenix out of you and make sure it's not a threat."

"NO!" The Phoenix suddenly snarled, appearing in the air just above Green as she clutched the sides of her head, the fiery phantasm's eyes blazing hatefully, black and hissing. "I will NOT be taken so easily! Especially not by YOU, you blind little defective piece of TRASH!" He snarled at Darth.

Darth held the stick up to the Phoenix and smirked evilly. "Oh, SHUT UP." He remarked, slamming the stick into Green's chest.

A horrid SIZZLING sound emitted, as if somebody was grilling burgers. Green howled horribly in pain and fell back, but the Phoenix was doing even WORSE, it's fiery form stretched out from Green, and visibly burning strands of fiery string were laid bare, connecting Green to the Phoenix.

Darth jumped through the air and twirled around, slashing through the wires, making Green shudder and gasp, eyes going pure pale blue like the blessed staff/stick as Darth hacked away at the strings. Grey nervously bit his lip, he HATED seeing this happen, and Nick was shuddering with every scream from Green and the Phoenix...

But then, a few moments later, the last of the strings were gone and the Phoenix was suspended in the air, snarling and hissing in fury and pain. Nick stepped forward, holding both hands up.

_**We didn't start the fire! It was always burnin' since the world's been turnin'! We didn't start the fire! Though we did ignite it, yeah we tried to FIGHT IT!**_

The burning bird then gaped, and smoke rose up from it...and POOF. It turned into a tiny little chick with bright red feathers. It squeaked angrily and hopped up and down as Grey held it up.

"I'd eat you, but I don't want you to take ME over." He told the thing.

"I'LL handle him." Darth said, holding up the staff. "Touch the chick to the staff, if you don't mind!"

Grey did so, tapping the chick to the staff. A burning white energy shot out from it and the chick was now turned into a small statue. "Okay, now you can get rid of it." Darth told him.

"Here's the wind-up...and the PITCH!" Grey laughed, tossing the bird far through the air. It sailed about a mile or so over the beach's waves and then sank into the ocean. "And THAT'S the end of THAT!"

"I sure HOPE so." Green mumbled nervously.

"I'm still going to be keeping an eye on you." The Hierophant told her, holding the staff up. "So don't do anything EVIL, alright?"

"Yes, sir." Green said dutifully. _"Ya stinkin' prick."_ She thought, as an addition.

"I heard that." The telepath laughed.

Alex, Nick and Lilo approached, smiling at them. "Well that's another problem taken care of. But we still need to track down Jack. Luckily we've got everyone we can looking for him and Gavrilo."

"He can't hide forever." Alex added to Nick's comment. He then looked over at Lilo and nervously bit his lip. "...er...Nick..."

"Yes?" Nick turned to look at Alex.

"...nothing. Nothing at all." Alex lied, looking away and to the side as the creature inside of him screamed and wailed and **TOLD** him what he wanted...

…

…

…

...he had orange fur, just as his dad did, and the cone head and eyes to match. But his body was covered with tattoos of angelic script of dark blue, and the tuft on the top of his head was a little wilder and longer. He grinned as he waved to his thousands of fans, all of them eager to come to his concert and hear his music.

He was performing along with Leroy and his son, Jenkins, who went simply by Jay. Jay resembled his father in many ways, fur color, bent antannae, big evil grin...but his ears were not frilled like his dad, and his teeth were pearly white, like his mother, Angel.

Jay tapped on the drums as David grinned, the shark tooth necklace that was a gift from his namesake, David Kawena, bounced off his chest as he sang vividly.

_**Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce!**_

_**Lights...go out...it's dark! The jungle is your head...can't rule...your heart!  
I'm feelin' so much stronger than...I thought your eyes are white,  
And though you soul...it can't...be bought, you make me wonder!**_

_**How long? (How long...Hola!) I'm at a place called Vertigo! (Poketa!)  
It's everything I wish I didn't know, but you...give me something...  
I can feeeeeeel! Feeeeee-eeeeeeel!**_

As he sang the final line of the chorus, he closed his eyes and for a brief moment the Virgin Mary appeared in the darkness within his eyelids, comforting him. Speaking words of wisdom...let it be.

_**The night...is full...of holes! As bullets rip the sky...of ink...with gold!  
They twinkle as the boys...play rock...and roll...  
They know that they can't dance...at least...they know!**_

_**I can't stand the beat...I'm askin' for the check! Girl with crimson nails, with Jesus 'round her neck...  
Swayin' to the music...swayin' to the music!  
Ohh-ohh-ohhh, Ohh-ohh-ohhh, Ohh-ohh-ohhh!**_

_**How long? (How long...Hola!) I'm at a place called Vertigo! (Poketa!)  
It's everything I wish I didn't know, but you...give me something...  
I can feeeeeeel! Feeeeee-eeeeeeel!**_

"I LOVE this song!" A green-furred Experimental American insisted as she shook her groove thing back and forth, a Yin/Yang symbol over her chest as her blond-haired, human boyfriend also boogied down next to her. "Woogy-woogy-woooo!"

"Uuuuuugh." The boyfriend suddenly stiffened, the thick blond hair atop his head almost standing straight up. "D-did you...did you feel that?" He whispered quietly to Naomi.

"No, Josh-OOOOH." She shivered as well. "I FELT it. The Willies."

"Somebody really SICK is watching us." Joshua mumbled. "It feels like someone's trying to feel up my soul..."

Unbeknownst to David, and SLIGHTLY "knownst" to Joshua and Naomi, a black figure with many arms was holding up a large crystal made of some black quartz and making David's visage appear in it. He grinned coldly and gently swept his claws over it in mystical gestures as he stood atop the tippity-top of the lightpost outside the stage arena that David, Leroy and Jay were within.

"Now then David, just give me what I want...and no one gets HURT..."

_**How long? (How long...Hola!) I'm at a place called Vertigo! (Poketa!)  
Lights go down, and all I know is that you...give me something!  
I can feel your love teaching me hooooo-oooo-ooooow...  
Your love is teaching me hooooo-oooo-oooow...  
How to kneeeeel! Kneeeeeeeeeel!  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah!**_

Leroy finished off with his double guitar and the crowd went wild, throwing panties and t-shirts at the brightly-lit stage as David blew kisses at them all and grinned.

"YOU ROCK!" Naomi yelled out, wishing she had a t-shirt to take off. Instead she jumped up and down, Joshua taking off HIS t-shirt to show he'd written the words "You are awesome" on his chest and stomach.

"NO, **YOU** ROCK!" David shouted back happily, waving goodbye as he left the stage to head back to his room.

"Well I think we really had an amazing turnout, as always. Sold out completely once again!" Leroy laughed, rolling around in a tub of dollar bills. "Ahhhhh. Here's to filthy stinkin' rich!" He snickered, holding up a large solid gold beer mug.

"To filthy stinkin' rich!" Jay agreed, clinking his own mug with his dad's.

"Yeah, you guys did an amazing job out there." David agreed, brushing his head off with a towel. "I'm impressed! See what happens when you channel all that jealousy towards Sandy and Stitch into something better?" He asked them.

The two were oddly quiet. David then shut up. They too had heard the news of Stitch and Angel's death. Leroy had been very upset over Angel, it was understandable, he'd forced himself on her and thus produced Ariel and Jay...in his own way, he cared about her. And Stitch...Stitch had always been a worthy adversary and opponent. Not a foe to KILL, just to outdo. And now he couldn't.

What bothered Leroy the most was how it affected Jay, who had been totally heartbroken over Angel's demise. He'd sobbed uncontrollably for days. He had lost his "mother"...

David patted them both on the back. "Hey, tomorrow night, let's go to the beach and just look at the stars. That always cheers you up."

This was true, they liked to make up patterns in the stars. Usually making dirty ones. Like the "Wardrobe Malfunction of the West" and "The REALLY Big Dipper" and "Insert Your Favorite Sexual Euphemism Here".

Heading out of the room, David looked himself over in the mirror, smiling. It had been a good night. Now he could get some-

Somebody was in the mirror. Not behind him...he would have SMELLED if someone was behind. But literally IN THE MIRROR. And...it was Samael.

He grinned, showing off the blood red teeth. "Hello David."

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" David snarled. "You know these tattoos keep your disgusting "gift" from controlling me, Venom of God!"

"True. But I have a little...friend here."

Samael held up a small beetle in the mirror which clacked his mandibles eagerly, red eyes glowing slightly as Samael aimed it at David in the mirror. "He eliminates even the TOUGHEST stains!" He laughed, letting it go as the thing SOARED out of the mirror and onto David, biting into his fur and flesh. He screamed and tried to tug it off...

But it had cut away a good chunk of fur...and a good chunk of tattoo. He moaned, holding his head, swaying back and forth as screaming voices filled his ears...at last he collapsed and the beetle cut away ALL his fur, removing the tattoos...

Then David stood up, grinning and laughing evilly as his eyes turned pure black, black ooze dripping like drool out of his mouth as his claws extended to levels they'd never reached before. The beetle dissolved away as Samael clapped his claws, satisfied.

"Ahhh, I do SO love being **ME.**"

…

…

…

...Echo held the book up for King to look over. "Me and Yuna found it stuffed into a trash can." She said as Yuna nodded. "It was just outside Kila and Zim's place."

King held it in his hands, looking it over. "What is it?" Yuna inquired.

"It appears to be a log book." He informed them as he opened up the book and looked through it. "...hmmm." He frowned. "All of this is written entirely in HEBREW. How odd."

"Can you read Hebrew?" Yuna asked as King placed it down on his desk in his room. He was no w quite glad he'd agreed to see them after class.

"I can read many languages." King informed them. "Hebrew happens to be something I spoke frequently in my youth, Palestine was my stomping ground."

"Don't you mean Isre-"

"It'll always be Palestine to me. Or rather, Judah." King insisted. "Now then, let's see what it says...oh. Of course. How else would this story start but with "In the Beginning"?"

…

…

…

… "**EAT** IT, GALACTIC PIGS!" Clyde laughed as he aimed his plasma gun turret behind him at the oncoming ships. Several rounds sent the ships flying left and right and Clyde laughed eagerly. "Changed my mind about me not being good grandfather material yet?" He laughed as he held Bonnie's paw with his other paw.

"Definitely!" Bonnie laughed as she clapped her hands. The two of them were in an unmarked ship that had a very large supply of urbonium in the trunk. It would sell for quite the pretty penny on the black market. "You're in better spirits lately."

"Well, this money will be great for when our new baby-"

WOOP! They were gone. Vanished.

…

…

…

… "I can't believe it. The baby's due any week now!" Belle said, looking down at her swollen belly. "What are we gonna name it?" She asked her husband as they headed up to their bedroom so that Legion could once again experience the unique moment of pregnancy sex, which the baby got a kick out of too, apparently, something that bothered Legion a little bit.

"I think we should name it David, after David Kawena." Legion insisted as they reached the bedroom and he held open a large scrapbook that showed off various pictures of the large ohana they all had. David was there at Belle and Legion's wedding...the best man, happily holding them up on his shoulders for the picture. He'd been a very, very dear friend.

"You're right, David is a lovely-"

WOOP!

They were gone as well.

…

…

…

...Grey paced back and forth, clenching his fist in front of him as he stood outside of their house "Alright, remember what you're going to tell her. "Listen Kila, I want you to know that I LOVE you, that I will ALWAYS-"

It was then that his ears shot up and his eyes widened. She was approaching the door for some reason! He quickly picked up the boxes of glass vials for Kila's latest experiment and put the clipboard for it on the top, waiting. She opened up the door, her amber brown eyes blinking, glowing slightly it seemed...

"Ah, you're EARLY! Nice!" She said happily, taking the boxes and bringing it inside to stand at her counter, where Zim was helping her experiments, as Puddingsack stirred the contents of a vial around in one of her mouths on a nearby kitchen table.

_Listen, Kila...out LOUD, you stupidhead! OUT LOUD!_

Grey opened his mouth to speak as Kila put the stuff away and then turned around and smiled happily at him and Zim spoke up.

"I would like to thank for being such a great friend to Kila...and to Zim." Zim told Grey, ending with a simple, appreciative nod.

And there it was. Great friends don't steal their best friend's girls.

Grey immediately chewed his tongue as he nodded. "You two can talk to me about anything, remember." He said, leaving the room and waving goodbye, closing the door...then holding his arm over his eyes, stifling pained scream. Finally he could take no more and let out a loud howl, punching the door down, intent on doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING, even taking her in his arms and-

She and he were gone.

…

…

…

...Ace looked himself over in the mirror along with Spectra. "Say, do you think my smile is fading?" He asked nervously.

"Nonsense, it's still as bright and shiny as it was on the day-"

WOOP! They were gone too!

…

…

…

...Skoodge raced across the floor of his lab, heading towards the tipping-over bookcase of various medical records, eyes wide. "No-no-NO-NO-NOOOO!" He yelled as he and Tenn tried to steady it...a visible small bump in Tenn's lower region. But before they had a chance to reach it...

WOOP!

They were gone.

…

…

…

… "He's WHAT?" Snizzi laughed as he held his gloved hand over his eyes and walked alongside Vassago on a road made of hot coals as burning sulpher rose up into the air, sparkling with the odious aroma of one of Hell's roads. "He's a DADDY and he doesn't even know it?"

"Yes, I can see into the future, remember? I've seen it come to pass. Eventually he shall discover Sari-"

WOOP!

They were gone too.

…

…

…

...all of them ended up in the same place. It was a fairly pleasant area...a camp cabin with a rocking chair out front, surrounded by beautiful dark purple and red flowers. There was a peaceful blue sky above, and patches of the flowers all over, as well as some moss growing on top of the cabin. There, in the rocking chair, was a familiar black figure with his arms folded across his chest, his lap and another two holding the sidearms of the rocking chair.

"Lemonade anyone?" He inquired, reaching to the right and holding up a pitcher of lemonade, then grabbing a stack of paper cups.

"...what are you up to? Isn't there some puppy you have to rape?" Vassago hissed angrily.

"Not at the moment. Work before pleasure." Samael insisted. "I can see some of you are unaware of who I am, so I'll explain. I-"

"Samael." Kila said coldly.

"The Devil of the Major Arcana." Zim added.

"Venom of God." Ace growled.

"The Morning Star, Light Bearer, That Which Has Fallen from Grace..." Spectra contributed.

"Lord of the Flies, Adversary, Accuser..." Skoodge went on.

"My reputation precedes me." Samael laughed, clapping his hands as he put the lemonade and the cups away. "In any case...inside, please." He asked of them, bowing and motioning for them to go inside of the cabin. Not wanting him to do anything nasty, they decided to head inside only after looking around at each other and sharing a look of "If he does something, we'll give him hell".

And so, once inside, the scenery INSIDE drastically changed from what had been outside. Now they were inside a strange Coliseum and were surrounded by replicas of THEMSELVES...only they were shadowy, had nasty glints in their eyes, and looked as if a sketch artist had taken their visage and run it through a blender to make them look as disgustingly skewed as possible. Samael bobbed his head from side to side as he sang happily, skipping over to a large table made of bones that had skulls on all it's corners and the legs...the skulls appeared to be weeping blood.

"Evenin'! Pleased to meet you! Won'tcha guess my name!" He laughed eagerly, twirling around to face them. "First thing's first. You must be wondering why I dragged you to this AWFUL..." He placed one of his claw sets on his chest in a mockingly melodramatic way. "AWFUL place! Well, it's simple. I am going to let you have a chance to make a deal with the Devil. LITERALLY."

He opened up his mouth and began to hack, and then spat up a pen with blood red ink. He smirked and then sat down and waited. There was a sound of a fax machine going, and then a paper printed out of his BOTTOM, making them all go "YECH". He held up the scroll that had gotten out...and it was clean, oddly enough. He grinned, showing off his blood-red teeth. "I know perfectly well that all of you have children that you are concerned about. Across time and space I've yanked you out of the timeline for one reason and one reason ONLY. You want you children to live? You and your little booger-eaters plan on surviving longer than the next hour? Well I can ensure your survival and prosperity for the rest of this century..." He placed a claw on his chin with another hand. "Hmm. Yes, it should take that long for me to fully control the Universe."

"WHAT?" They all shouted.

"Sign on the bottom line and you get to live. If you don't, you all die here." Samael informed them. "I would think that you, being caring parents, would do ANYTHING to keep your children from being harmed!"

Legion spoke up. "Suck it." He snarled. "I'm not listening to you! None of us-"

"Bad idea." Samael remarked, wispy tail wagging eagerly as he tossed the stuff he'd had in his hands into the air and then ducked down, allowing his bony wings to sweep Belle towards him. He held her down, then wiggled one set of claws...

SCHLORK!

PLOOOOGH!

Those of a lesser constitution, such as Zim, vomited profusely as a smirking Samael held up a not-yet-fully-developed baby David in the air, then put his lips to the child's. Something slipped inside of David, and the baby was fully grown...but now moaning and groaning, eyes fluttering, blood-red hue hidden beneath.

"Now, I COULD let it go ALL the way..." He remarked cheerily. "Another sisterly kiss from Uncle Sam and-"

"NO!" Belle and Legion sobbed. "We'll...we'll do what you want..." Belle begged tearfully.

"Don't hurt my little boy." Legion added.

"Good!" Samael handed Belle her son. "Mazel Tov, it's a boy after all!" He then held his hands up and caught the paper and pen again. "Now then...that agreement?" He asked of the others.

"Why would WE sign it?" The blue imp demanded angrily. "I'm **EMPEROR OF ALL OF FUCKIN' HELL!** Why should I listen-"

"Well, I KNOW Vassago has a soft spot for children." Samael remarked calmly, looking over at the red-haired demon, who's beautiful, slightly pale skin turned the color of Kleenex, and he looked so sick he could go through ten boxes of the stuff. "And you, Snizzi, will do it because I am ordering you to do so...because if you don't, you will never know who the High Priestess of the Major Arcana will be because I'll destroy her right NOW.

The imp's red eyes narrowed to slits. He, as Emperor, was supposed to be the one to unlock the potential of the High Priestess. If Samael destroyed her before he could do that, he'd lose an infinitely valuable ally...

Finally he hung his head.

"...I'll sign the freakin' scroll."

They all lined up to sign...

…

…

…

… "Oh my God...everything they did...they did to protect their kids?" Yuna asked softly.

"Yes." King said sadly. "All of them fulfilling different duties by that sinister...FREAK'S...whim. Thieving, sabotage, murder, so much, so very much..." He shook his head in disgust.

Echo frowned deeply. "Well what happened next?"

"Well, then something happens..."

…

…

…

… "We can't do this." Kila mumbled looking into the mirror of the bathroom, her amber brown eyes eying the crib behind her, where little smeetpuppy Green was sleeping peacefully...the sleep of the innocent. "We have to do something or he'll have his claws in her for all her life, I KNOW he'll go back on his word. That kind of...thing...always does."

"What are we going to do, then?" Zim mumbled quietly. "I've no idea how to fight him. Only a Major Arcana member can destroy him." He shook his head.

"He will not have us raise our daughter to be a supervillain. To be a monster." Kila hissed angrily, punching the mirror so hard it cracked. Some blood oozed down her fist as she narrowed her eyes...and then sighed sadly. She knew what they had to.

"...a good parent would never abandon their child." She spoke slowly, mournfully, as if every single word was like somebody stomping on her back. "But this is one time only good parents WOULD...to somebody who can take care of her and raise her to be good."

"You mean we leave him with Grey? But-" Zim hesitated, turning back. "...Zim doesn't want to leave his daughter..."

"Me neither." Kila added, sighing deeply. "But if we abandon her and run and run from Samael, she'll throw away all the teachings we instilled in her. She won't follow our path. She'll renounce us and become good. I have a feeling about this, Zim...this is the best way we can care for her. We'll draw attention away from her, if nothing else. He'll come for US first...we won't be able to hide, only to keep running."

Zim held Kila's hands and then looked back at Green. He headed over to her sleeping form as she bubbled slightly, mumbling, little nubby antennas sticking out from the peach fuzz of her hair. He gently rubbed it, and tears sprung to his eyes. He blinked them back, his body shaking with suppressed sobs.

He wanted what was best for her. But...he also wanted to stay with her. To see her grow up.

He hoped that in the time it would take for her to grow up...he and Kila would change their minds.

…

…

…

… "But they didn't...did they?" Echo asked.

"One group DID try to rise up against Samael though, according to this tome." King said, holding the book up. "Skoodge and Tenn tried to go tell someone but...he reached them first and..."

"And their baby?" Yuna asked quietly.

King looked away and to the side in sorrow.

"Oh." Yuna mumbled.

"Tenn's pregnant now, from what I'm reading in here." He told them. "One month. It'll be noticeable in another. The only reason Skoodge and Tenn are alive is because they didn't tell anyone about Samael's plan. But..."

King's eyes went wide. Legion HAD...

They had to protect him. King quickly ran to his desk phone and ripped it off to dial...

BRIIING...BRIIIIING...

He tried to reach their house...but the number was disconnected.

"We've got to run." King said, eyes widening in horror.

EARLIER THAT DAY...

"Oh Beeeelle!"

Experiment 627 bounced the door open with his butt and shook it around, holding up a tray with pancakes in the shape of a special something Belle REALLY enjoyed gobbling down, a rose, Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid (Belle really liked Kool-Aid) and sausages fried to perfection. "Breakfast in bed for my sleepy valentine!" He laughed, turning around and grinning, eyes closed as he held the tray up.

Then the smell alerted him that something was wrong. He'd been so caught up in being spontaneous for Belle that he hadn't paid any attention to that strange smell. He opened his eyes wide...

Belle was lying, her neck half-connected to her head and chest as her eyes were forever trapped in a mixed look of pitiful begging and utter terror. There was blood all over the sheets and something written at the top of the bed in her own purple blood: "Your Bloody Valentine".

"No...no-no-no-no..." Legion whispered, dropping the tray with a crash, the rose crumpling beneath his feet as he rushed to her side and felt her pulse. "No, no! She's okay, she's okay...no...NOOOO..._NOOOOOO..._"

"Oh, she had quite the mouth on her. You should have heard her cursing earlier when I was chasing her down."

Jack's voice. Polite. Calm.

Mocking.

"You're not going to leave this house ALIVE you little cripple!" Legion howled, eyes alit with fire.

"I'd like to see you try to catch me." Jack laughed calmly. "Now why don't you calm down and go to the kitchen for a drink?"

Legion's eyes went wide. Oh no. He had a terrible feeling he KNEW what was going to be inside that fridge, but it was as if something else had taken him over...he walked down the steps as if under a spell and shakingly opened up the fridge door...

Reeling back at the sight of a decapitated head that had a banana stuffed into the mouth with a condom lying next to it.

"Now here's what you do. Put the condom on. Then take it off. And when you're finished...you can eat the banana!" Jack cackled.

"You...YOU...!" Legion slammed the door shut, not wanting to see Bellatrix's unseeing eyes or that horrible banana inside her mouth. "I'll...I'll make you eat your own intestines, you little prick!" He snarled, eyes filling with angry tears.

"Oh, but the BEST stuff's in the oven!" Jack called out. "I put a TURKEY in the oven!"

Legion really REALLY didn't want to open up the oven...but it was as if he didn't have a choice, like he was playing out some sick act on stage for cheering bar patrons...shimmying up and down a pole. He reached for the oven hatch and opened it up...

"OH GOD!" He screamed, now seeing his SON in there...lemon-basted and roasted to a golden brown. "DAVID, NO!" He sobbed, reeling back. "YOU BASTARD!" Legion howled, punching the floor over and over, cracking it into shattered linoleum dust.

Inside his head, the beasts within him screamed and raged and TOLD him what he wanted and this time...this time he did not hold back. He simply screamed and clenched his fists and let out a loud howl.

One set of arms shot out and plasma burst through the walls. A telekinetic blast launched the roof off it's hinges. His ocular lasers shot up into the sky, burning through clouds and finally he let out a final wail...

Chillingly burning wind filled the entire house. When it was finished...there was nothing but a mockery of what had been a nice home. The entire place was turned into one giant icebox. Some water dripped down from the pipes in the wall before turning into crystals, and then the pipes themselves shattered in the harsh cold.

627 was transformed into a large ice sculpture, his features forever locked in a scream of rage and loss. He had frozen himself solid with his own power.

Smirking and satisfied with the illusion he'd created to simulate his family's deaths, the possessed David clapped his hands and nodded, then carefully made his way across the front lawn from the tree just outside the house and back to his car's trunk. He popped it open and smiled coldly down at his struggling mother, who was bound and gagged and drugged up (though still putting up a fight). He lifted her over his shoulder and ignored the flailing of her tail as he crossed into the ruins of the kitchen and tossed her onto the ground near Legion.

He then headed back to the car and got ahold of the large sickle he'd bought from a farming store, held it up so it caught the light, then headed back to his mother, raising it up as Jack and Gavrilo, disguised with image inducers, sat in the car nearby, eyes widening as he brought it down again and again...

…

…

…

… "I shouldn't have to keep burying my friends...my family." Lilo mumbled as Staccato carefully lowered the bodies into the ground.

"No, we SHOULDN'T have to." Nick murmured out in agreement, shaking his head. He was heartbroken about their deaths...heartbroken about ALL of this death. There had to be some way to put an end to it all. There had to be some answer...

Page was trying to comfort Jude, who'd flown in from Vatican City to attend the funeral. Bellatrix was unusually quiet...she'd reached a point of sorrow beyond tears. And Echo just sat there, looking at her grandparents as they lay in their coffins. Alex kneeled down next to her and placed his hand on his shoulder, as close as he could come to being "touchy-feely". She accepted this and nodded slightly, closing her eyes and letting the tears stream out.

"This was David's work." Green told Junior as they stood far off, looking at the cemetery from quite a distance. "I recognized the slash marks. They were grotesque replications...mockeries of the angelic script he usually has for tattoos on his body. And I'll bet that Samael somehow got him to do this, because David would NEVER attack his parents like this in a million years unless he was possessed."

"You're very smart." He complimented. "But...there has to be some way to stop him, Gavrilo and Jack without killing them!"

"There is." Green said, grinning. "**I** have got a **PLAN.**." She told him confidently.

…

…

…

...Jack's head swum. Moving his arms felt like he was trying to swim inside of chocolate pudding. His mouth had an acrid taste and his nostrils were on fire. Pain was sweeping up his body...

So long since his last hit...so very, very long...

"C-Can I...can I have...have that...that..." He stuttered out, reaching out at his benefactor.

Samael smiled and handed him the Hypercortisone X inhaler. "Ready for your magic carpet ride, Jacky?" He asked eagerly.

Jack took the inhaler. It felt comforting. Happiness was a warm inhaler at that moment, and so he took a large breath from it and let the sweet aroma of Heaven into his lungs, filling him up with happy, excited feelings...pure confidence and charisma. He had everything together all over again.

It was time to go to work once again.


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

_Junior and Green are headed for another city...a city well known across the universe. The "Sin City" of America._

_Vegas. That golden city where dreams can come true with a single pull of a red lever._

_You can make or break your fortunes in that town. But there's something that you ought to know. A moral compass...it can only guide you so far. You still have to say "yes" or "no" to that apple that's being offered to us. And Vegas was built on the principle that you can do almost ANYTHING there...we won't tell nobody if you don't..._

_Will you bite into that apple after all?_

"How was your reading today?" Nacht inquired of Darth as he stood with Alex in the large Church of St. Domm.

"Excellent. I read the Tale of Quarr to them this sermon." Darth laughed gently in his soft, calm voice. It unsettled Nacht...he always felt Darth was...like a shadow. A shadow standing erect within a church that ought to have been filled only with light. He always stood out not because he was blind, but because his voice AND blindness made you worry that he was secretly plotting to do something cruel to you.

"The "Apocrypha" is an interesting tome." Alex spoke up. "Why did you create it?"

"It took 3 years for me to write it all down and to translate it took another 3, then a final year editing it..." Darth grinned. "But I'm proud of it. All are tales that center around my religion's greatest message...that of forgiveness."

"Forgiveness?" Alex asked hollowly. He felt there was none for him.

"The Irken race...was cursed." Darth told him. "We suffered due to the cruelty we showed other races, suffering embodied in defectives who brought about ruin and chaos, suffering portrayed in disastrous military campaigns and assassinations of our leaders...a revelation occurred and I understood that we had inherited the sins of the fathers BUT..." He closed his eyes and held the leather-bound, 40-pound holy tome closed. "Through the redemptive acts of the sons, the Irken race has...IS...tipping the karmic scales. We will make amends for our evil in the past, one act at a time...I believe all people can be redeemed through good acts."

"True, true." Page agreed. He was also there.

"I don't know." Nacht spoke up. "What of the Desert Fathers, early founders of the Catholic Church? They would say strict adherence to God's will-"

"PFFT." Page stuck his tongue out. "Silly out devils! What matters is love." Page insisted.

"...love?" Alex and Nacht inquired as Page turned to them, the light of the framed-glass window cast down onto him like a beautiful ray from Heaven itself...though THAT glow didn't match the glow from his big smile.

"Yes. When God laughs at the soul and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten. When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure, that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that love...is the Holy Spirit." Page said.

"Hmm." Nacht allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "That...is a trinity I think I could believe in."

And Alex felt a tiny twinge of genuine joy in him for a moment. A deep feeling of contentedness. He had just heard words as filled with Holy Spirit as anything out of the mouth of Elijah, Moses or Jesus himself.

Believing in love and forgiveness. Maybe he could be forgiven with time...and with good effort.

…

…

…

..."Why did we have to come HERE?" Junior asked nervously as he looked around at the hundreds of people lined up at the slots. There were slot machines painted brown, black and gold all over, beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging over their heads, a large circular grouping of blackjack tables and best of all, an ENORMOUS bar, where a light blue-furred experiment who was fairly tall was trying to down a watermelon margarita. He had a red bandanna on and red and white shorts with a small round tail sticking out the back, wiggling madly. He also had brilliant yellow/gold eyes and balled feet. He looked like he was a lifeguard.

"Totally awesome margaritaaaa." He got out. "Think I wanna get another, dude, before I go get some maximum oxygen when I go grip it and rip it. Got major shreddage to do."

"...what?"

"He said "I want another shot of beer, I'm about to go out and paint Vegas red on my skateboard." Joshua explained calmly, the blond-haired boy sitting by his dear wife Naomi as she snuggled closer to him. They'd been following a certain individual's trail. Who? You'll see.

"You got all that?" The bartender asked.

Indeed he had. Joshua DID come from California, where such lingo originated. When he was younger, met Naomi whilst visiting Hawaii on vacation with his family. The two immediately hit it off and eventually Joshua insisted that Naomi come with his family back to his home. What should happen...but the two getting married.

It had also helped that Joshua's parents had been encouraged by Grey to give their son the blessing for marriage. After all, this was a time when specisim wasn't tolerable, your next door neighbors could have fur and fangs! So now, Joshua and Naomi are happily married and even had a teenage son & daughter, with another son who was just starting school at a seminary.

"You look really familiar." The surfer boy told Joshua. "Have I seen you before?"

"I guess I've just got one of those faces." Joshua said calmly, shrugging.

Junior naturally felt a little sick looking over the large amount of booze here...and he noticed that there was a large back door where a burly Experimental American was guarding-

HOGAN?

Hogan saw them and waved them over to the back room. "Glad you're here." He said to Green. "I got your call." He told Green, nodding. "Yeah, David scheduled a concert appearance at the Tangiers. He'll be playing in two days."

Green rubbed her hands together eagerly, laughing. "I knew it! "Uncle Sam's" targeting newborn kids...that's his recent modus operandi. And your wife is giving birth in HERE, in Vegas!"

Hogan nodded. It was true. They'd moved to Vegas to get away from it all after the shooting of Heartwing. They weren't sure if they would ever go back...even Frank had come along, to look after his dear _"hermana"_. To ensure that they'd have money to stay...Hogan had rented his services out as a bodyguard for the club. His yellow mustache quivered happily as he hugged them tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you two are alright! I'd heard about what had happened at Niihau, it was aaaallll over the news and I kept thinkin' ya'll gotten yourself OFFED, but..."

"We're fine, really!" Junior squeaked out.

"Speakin' o' family I'm worried 'bout, how's..." Hogan sighed. "How is HE doing...and how's Chops handling things?"

Both of them looked squeamish to tell the whole truth. 561, 621 and 627 had been comrades...friends. Pals, even, in the case of 621 and 627. Chops had been the first person 627 has begun to care about, since so many others had no seen him as equal or deserving of friendship.

Chops had lost a very big part of his ohana and Nightwing had lost a dear acquaintance. He would never admit to having "loved" that orange pervert, but...there was an unmistakable mistiness in his eyes nowadays, as if he was desperately trying to cry, but did not have enough humanity left in him to do so.

"...what are you guarding anyhow?" Junior inquired.

Hogan let go of them and pushed the door open for them to see. There, sitting on the couch, was a tanned-skinned, black-haired boy who looked decidedly Middle-Eastern. He only had a loincloth on and was sitting across from a man in a dark purple robe with very steely grey hair and a beard to match, with a refined face and a knowing glint in his dark blue/grey eyes. The robe looked more...

"You're a transvestite?" Green asked. She really shouldn't have, it wasn't polite. But the man just snickered.

"No-no-no. This is a sorcrerer's gown."

"But isn't a gown like a dress?" Junior asked.

"No." The man snapped.

"Oh."

They stood there, looking at each other while the Middle-Eastern-esque boy raised his nostril down to the table again and inhaled the powdery white substance, licking his lips a little and lying back on the couch to take a few calming breaths.

"...yes it is." Junior said at last.

The man was about to speak when the boy interrupted his thought processes. "Evans, take a hike, okay? I can deal with these two."

Green didn't like the way he said "deal". The man named Evans left the room, muttering something under his breath, crooning foul words as the boy stood up. "This is a...PRIVATE room...for SPECIAL people." He told Green.

"I know perfectly well what sort of "special person" you are, Bartimaeus." Green spoke. She went on, noticing his obvious surprise. "Your appearance, your demeanor...it's all just as described. I've done reading up on Vassago and Snizzi's good friends and acquaintances."

"The Tower AND the Emperor? Tell me, Vassago's not been in Hell lately, how's he doing?" Bartimaeus asked eagerly.

"He's broken up over Patch's death. Three days ago he stabbed himself with a cold iron knife in the leg to see if he could still feel pain. He can." Junior said sadly, shaking his furry white head.

"Right. So then, what are you doing here?"

"One is to find Samael and stop him before he can reach a friend of ours...Hogan's wife, Victoria!" Green told the djinn, jabbing her thumb at Hogan. "Samael was sent into the Abyss, lost to the Universe but clawed his way back somehow...he always seems to find SOME way back. But he can't travel around out in the open unless he's in full power and even WHEN he is, he likes skulking around so he can pop out and-"

"Rape, pillage, murder, then laugh and slink back into the shadows? Hiding in the dark hallways of Sheol, watching and waiting from the darkness for a chance to spread racism, hatred, cruelty and sin?" Junior finished.

"Exactly."

"Well then...you want to go down to Hell then...to Sheol, to track him down." Bartimaeus realized. He frowned deeply. "...that's not a decision you should make lightly."

"Open up the door." Green ordered, pointing at Bartimaeus. "I CHARGE you too, djinn! By the name of Solomon, who sealed you away, and Ptolemy, whom you loved!"

"...alright." He said softly, going to a nearby closet and biting into his thumb. He carved a sigil into the door, then opened it up...

A swirling portal of blazing red and brilliant blue blended together to form a regal purple portal, which crackled with black sparks of lightning. Bartimaeus stood to the side and held up one arm for them to go in. Junior stepped in with his long feet nervously poking the portal as if he was about to step into a cold pool, and then hopped inside, followed by Green, who swept right inside.

…

…

…

...Sheol. The Pit. Disgusting and slimy. The entire area appeared at FIRST to be covered with some kind of mutant fungus that looked like it had been some kid's science project gone INCREDIBLY wrong, but then when you actually looked closely at the fungus, you realized it was not only alive, it was...made of what appeared to be human flesh turned to dark purple, blue and black tones. You could tell from the texture and the hairs and the occasional mole and goosebump...

And worser still, the eyes...opening and closing, and when combined with screaming, wailing mouths, some with teeth broken into stubs, others razor sharp, all howling terribly in utter agony as the stalactites dripped burning acid down onto the pebbly road below and the stalagmites seemed to quiver, as if they were the spines of some creature that was sleeping below, and just WAITING for them to touch said spine.

There, waiting for them, was a large white-armored demon that had three eyes with yellow irises and gleaming dark green pupils. The curves around the eye were red, and he had spiked white armor over his hunched body...he looked down at them, the long, light-green-tipped claws on his appendages twitching occasionally. He had crab/spider-like legs that were spiked at the bottom and a spiked tail, also armored, that swept back and forth with dark purple, strong-toned flesh underneath and an armored chest to match. He grinned slightly, showing perfectly sharp fangs and a slightly forked tongue.

"Weeeeell...I have been awaiting for pure souls to come." He told Junior in a frightening, yet-awe-inspiring voice. Every word seemed to be total and utter truth, and there was a subtle undercurrent of sinister intent. "And though you are tainted in soul..." He looked Green over, licking his lips. "Your BODY's quite untouched..."

It was almost like a bad joke. Hey there beautiful, wanna come kick it with the bad boy?

"NOT in the mood." Green snapped, snapping her fingers and allowing a small fireball to appear. He looked at her with new eyes and then asked a question.

"What is your business here?"

"Looking for the Venom of God. We know he's been walking through the halls and passageways of Sheol, reaching out only to corrupt, High Devil Barubary."

Barubary grinned. "My reputation precedes me! As does yours, former holder of the Phoenix." He bowed then, surprising them both. "Well, I was told to keep an eye out for you! The Emperor will be happy to see you. She is **here**, my lord!" He called out, abandoning that formerly sinister attitude to be replaced with a slightly kinder tone.

"Green, how ARE you?" Snizzi laughed, walking towards her as Barubary stepped to the side...okay, more like "scuttled". Snizzi embraced Green like he had not seen her in years, the imp's crimson-bladed tail striking the ground with it's flat side like a dog that eager to see it's owner. "Welcome, beloved! Say, how is Best Beloved Nick doing?"

"Uh...he'll be alright with some time. Lilo's comforting him...and...stuff..." Green was quite unsure of how to react to the Emperor of Hell treating her so kindly. From all reports, he was supposed to be a-

"Anyhow, how about I show you around my pad?" He asked happily. He clapped his hands together in front of a very large stalagmite that was blocking their path and it tilted open. "Follow meeeeeeeeeeee!" He cheered in a blissfully stupid tone as he jumped inside with a big grin. Shrugging, figuring that "When in Rome"...they dove inside.

SWOOOOSH! Down a swirling and spiralling tunnel as smooth as any waterpark ride. At last the "roof" over their heads opened up and they were treated to a strangely beautiful sight...a dark black sky with a blood red sun hovering in the sky as dark purple mountains loomed in the distance. A calm and oddly peaceful wind blew through their faces as they were finally launched up and through the air, landing on an ENORMOUS pile of skulls. Junior and Green groaned and held their heads as they looked up to see Snizzi sitting atop a throne on top of the catastrophically enormous pile of craniums. He rubbed his chin, looking Green over with great interest.

"I'm sure you wondering why I'm so happy to see you...well..." He spread his arms wide. "This, Green, is the center of Hell itself, my humble abode." He then frowned. "I see that you find that bloody sun to be...unnerving?"

"Well, yes!" Junior said, nodding eagerly.

Snizzi stood up and then pointed at the sun before clenching his fist. The sun BLINKED out of existence and the entire scene was replaced with a beautiful starry sky. "I can control EVERYTHING down here. Everything and EVERYONE!" He laughed as he clapped his hands and a set of bony chairs popped up from the pile, made of skulls that all chittered and giggled and hopped over to Junior and Green, who sat down in them and were whisked along as Snizzi led them down a path to a large door that was alongside a ring of double doors just like it. Most had different dark colors and sigils on the front...this particular one had the visage of hand reaching up from a test tube to the heavens above. He kicked it open...

They were treated to a horrifying sight. Experiments were pushing up heavy bags of money up hills, fighting each other to the death, their knees weighed down by huge bags sand, others were desperately trying to eat at some food at a table, but all of them were too far away from the food and they had only one way to each the food...boards that had been NAILED into their arms with fork, knife and spoon on each end. But unfortunately, they couldn't bend the boards to make the food on the table reach their own mouths.

"They never figure out that if they bothered, they could feed each OTHER. But gluttons only care about me, me, me. The sin of selfishness is also the sin of absolute stupidity. The punishment for this is DEATH, and the Universe carries it out swiftly and without mercy." Snizzi informed them, snickering as he held his three-digited gloved hand over his fanged mouth. "If you're bad, you'll end up in here and the King of Experimental Hell and his wife and children will sew **YOU** into a chair and use you as a piece of furniture." He told Junior. "And lovely GREEN with her juicy C-Cups will end up as a harem girl for Master."

"I thought there was only one Hell." Junior remarked.

"Oh, there's one Grand Hell, yes. I preside over that and have authority in the other realms as Emperor of it, but the reason my Hell is special is that it CONNECTS the Netherworlds together. You may think of me as the St. Peter of Hell, my beloved." He laughed, placing one hand on his chest, laughing in a high-pitched, grotesque imitation of a child's cry that made them cringe slightly. "Sometime I'll take you to Hades's place. He's really got quite the sense of humor once you get past the initial weirdness of seeing that his hair is literally fire." Snizzi laughed.

"Heyyyyyy..." A familiar voice called out and Green frowned at the sight of a sickly-looking experiment 627 waving at her along with two other 627's. "Hyena, E-Vile, take a look!"

"This better be good, Bloodbath, I'm-WOAAAH! She's HOT!" The second one spoke up.

"Evil! Evil!" The third agreed in "stupid evil" talk.

"Get a good look because you're not going to get anything ELSE." Green snarled, holding up her claws as burning flame rose up.

"I'VE got this." Junior spoke up. He quickly slid on a blue mood ring...a very familiar mood ring and smirked as he twirled around, then pointed it at them. A swirling burst of blue and red light surrounded them and instantly they blinked.

"...what just..."

"...happened?"

"...ehhhh?"

They all looked at each other, then scratched their heads. Then they just "hey'd" Green and walked off. "What did you DO?" She asked in amazement.

"I balanced out their sexual urges. Their naturally perverted selves collided hard with rock-solid prudishness I instilled within their souls." He said proudly. "Lust plus prudishness equals no interest in sex whatsoever...chastity. Not perversion, but not disgust either."

"That power of yours is going to be handy." Green predicted. "And...mahalo for the help."

He blushed nervously then and Snizzi rolled his eyes. "Okay High Priestess. Listen up..."

THAT got her to whip around and gape at him. "What?"

"You're the High Priestess. A source of wisdom and knowledge. All of its sealed away in you. Bits of it have been leaking out...you're showing signs of it, remembering the most minute of details. Now you'll be able to help ME regain control over a certain Hell in exchange for ME helping YOU bring out your greatest potential."

She frowned deeply and crossed her arms. "A demon can have a hundred reasons for wanting to help a mortal and **99** of them would be malevolent. Why should I trust you?"

"I only am interested in a reliable ally." Snizzi insisted. "I always keep my word, you know. I'm BOUND, by the laws set down from Above, to do so." He nodded his head in a pensive fashion. "Christ spelled it out for me, and you don't argue with JC. He's just got this..." He gesticulated to try and bring his point across. "This GENTLENESS in him. He's so sweetly persuasive!"

"Jesus comes-oh...right." Green nodded. "He went down to Hell before to release those who were entombed in it before he had arrived in the world. Before salvation through him was possible. He comes down here to Hell to bring people out?"

"Occasionally there's mix-ups and innocent people get sent down here...or somebody curses an innocent person down into Hell. This one blond bitch went screamin' all the way down into the Lake of Fire cuz she pissed off this Romanian-aw, you don't wanna hear that." Snizzi laughed. "I'm going to bring out your full powers, High Priestess."

He clapped his hands and now an enormous ring of stones surrounded them all, monoliths that intimidated them with their solid stance, their immovability. Etched upon them all were...faces?

"Emotions." Snizzi told him. "Feelings. Now tell me...do you think feelings are good?"

Green knew this was a trick question, but...she couldn't help it. She found herself answering in a fashion similar to her father's attitude. "Of COURSE! Why not?" She snapped. "There are certain emotions which must be steadfastly drilled into a person and forever held in your heart!"

Snizzi then snickered madly and recomposed himself. "Nooooot quite." He told her, leaping on top of a monolith that had a blissful but stupid-looking face on it. "Feelings are a very great gift and they help make my job a lot easier AND harder at the same time. You see, they're treacherous if it's all you live for. They often drive you back into YOURSELF. The things YOU want, what YOU need. But there is one emotion that is needed, be you angel, demon or something else."

He stood atop his hand, perched and posed like he was doing yoga and began to do single-handed push-ups off the monolith as Green took a reasoned guess. "Love?"

"YES!" He laughed, jumping up and twirling around as he landed expertly and clasped her hands. "That which is Divine, even down in Hell! From love comes the courage to believe the best in people, pity and sympathy for those who lack what we ourselves have, even down in Hell we have Love! I have my Love for the one who gave me life, Nick. Others have love for life and in celebrating it as often as possible and seeing OTHERS enjoy it while they can. Others love fighting and proving the strength of your heart down here in Hell. Even Paolo and Francesca have each other, at least, those sinful sex-addicts." Snizzi laughed.

"Something divine call last even in Hell?" Green asked. "Love?"

"Love can live anywhere." Snizzi said. "And you must understand one thing to unlock your greatest power."

He took her hands. "You must understand why it is necessary to love. And to do that...you must challenge one who would seek to annihilate you utterly...and to have a chance to take his life and snuff it out."

He then spun her around as he clapped his hands and the monoliths shrunk into the ground and Green spun right in front of a door. It opened for her and an annoyed-looking Irken stood there, frowning as he folded his arms. He was taller than the Irkens she was used to seeing in her father's old videos and photo albums...

"What do YOU want?" He snapped. Behind him was something that was vaguely like the idea...not the actual thing, but some sort of twisted mockery of an abyss that was swirling and barely formless. The IDEA of a dark abyss beyond which was only pain and suffering, and whomever had had the idea needed to go to an institution to be locked away forever. She could see people stumbling around, screaming and wailing, unable to see, apparently...even though the abyss was white, it should have been obvious to-

"Those eyes have lost all sight." He told her coldly, jabbing his thumb back. "In Irken hell, your eyes are the first to go. Then your hearing. Then you lose your tongue and you can't even properly scream. Pain's the last thing to go after your body gives out. And that's when they come out to put you out of your misery and...and make you be reborn so it happens all over again." The Irken muttered hatefully.

"Emmy boy, Green is giving you an official challenge. You win...and you're free, on my authority." Snizzi told the alien. "Lose...and she can do whatever she wants to you."

"Emmy" smirked evilly and clapped his hands together, rubbing them. "Then as the challenged, I assert the battlefield. I chose...the game of forming reality!"

KRA-KOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

...Junior blinked as he stood next to a purple-scaled dragon with light red horns that were slightly skewed and white eyes. He had no wings and thick black claws that were scratching his butt...he wasn't very sophisticated like the David Bowie-look-alike with the dark black wings like a raven's, his beautiful blue eyes glittering as he drunk from his wine.

They were within a night club. There were demons and devils sitting all around with fur, fangs, claws, fins, hooks, spikes, tentacles...all of them eyeing the stage where "Emmy" was standing with a microphone, grinning proudly as Green stood on the other end. "Welcome to a formal challenge from Green Kila Pelekai!" He laughed. "I, Emery, will now set the beat."

He clapped his hands and transformed, appearing in a beautiful white leisure suit. He then bowed deeply, mockingly at her, and started off. "I am a rat, diseased and disgusting, running across the fields, fangs biting deep, death on my hide." He whispered as his shadow transformed into a rat that paced around Green.

"I am a serpent." She spoke clearly as her own shadow changed. "Poisontooth, eyes glinting, burning with vengeful desire." Her shadow slunk around the rat-like shadow, hissing eagerly.

"I am eagle, soaring on the highest thermals, snake-devouring." Emery laughed, spreading his arms wide as his shadow transformed into an eagle that called out through the club as Junior nervously wrung his tail.

"I am hunter, bow and arrow raised upon my horse, ready to take down all flying prey." Green said, aiming as her own shadow reared up and neighed.

"I am gadfly, horse-stinging, rider-throwing!"

"I am spider, insect-catching, life-draining!"

"I am buffalo, spider-stomping, powerful grazer!"

"I am wolf, strong in spirit, united by a pack!"

"I am an ANTHRAX...life killing, consuming!"

Now Green inwardly grinned. She walked around Emery, pointing upwards as Belial the dragon patted Junior comfortingly on the back. "I am the World! Life-nuturing, beautiful and thriving!"

She now rose up into the air on her shadow as it swirled around into the shape of the world and folded her arms. Smirking, Emery stepped forward, rising up. "I am a nova, all-exploding, cremating planets with a single blow!" He laughed, holding his arms up as the rising darkness of his shadow grew.

The air was utterly hot and tense. It was as if everybody had their breath drawn in. The end was in sight.

"I am the Universe, ever-expanding, filling all with life and newness!" Green called out, stretching out one arm before her, the other behind her as she stood on a sideways position. The world beneath her transformed into a whirling, large form that expanded out further, now transforming into beautiful light...

"I am Beast of Armageddon. I am Anti-Life, I am Anti-God...I am the End of Everything..." Emery whispered as he took a familiar form that Green recognized all too well...his eyes glinting, blood-red teeth smirking. "And what...shall YOU be?"

"I'm **Love**." Green said, holding her hands to her chest and then holding them up before her.

It happened then. Two swirling pillars of fire rose around her in a helix fashion as singularity of light, a shining ball, formed in her clawed hands. She looked down at it, feeling...peace. She understood everything. Truth was real. Everything was possible. An infinite number of solutions to life's greatest problems explained.

She UNDERSTOOD.

Emery gaped, the shadow vanishing...Samael snarling as he rose up from the floor. "Hateful little..." He narrowed his eyes. "Fine...go ahead. Do what you shall to him. I would like Emery to understand that he's made me..." He raised a single claw and traced it almost lovingly down Emery's trembling cheek. "UNHAPPY."

Green raised her hand up. "That's enough. I forgive you. You are free to leave Hell and to follow the path of peace."

Emery gaped...and then was gone. Blinked out of Hell as Snizzi nodded and performed a slow clap that was soon picked up into a roaring cheer of clapping, hooting and yelling, the loudest of which came from Junior, who was bounding up and down. "Now do you understand?" He asked her.

"Yes." Green said, nodding. "Love is what the greatest pieces of wisdom and knowledge stem from. Knowing how to love is feeling peace, realizing that as long as you love, you are never alone and an answer shall always be found to the questions you have."

Snizzi embraced her happily. "High Priestess, I am happy to hear such words." He said honestly.

"But why would you care about love?" Junior asked. "I'm still confused."

"Samael HATES love." Belial said.

"And we hate HIM." Long Oah agreed.

"I had love in my life once before and I understand why it's useful." Another added. "Why it must remain even in Hell."

"Not all Rulers of the Hells feel the need for any sort of love. But the Lord of Experimental Hell found a family and thus found love. There's hope for him. Others will reach it too." He grinned. "I did, after all. If I can do it...they can too. Now, about that favor you owe me..."

"What is it?"

"There's one Ruler of a certain Hell that's been pushing my buttons and trying to leave her realm so she can control other realms. Think you can show that Ice Queen the light?" He asked.

"Certainly. Where is she?"

"The same place Samael's headed to." Snizzi remarked, jabbing his thumb at Samael as the hateful thing sank into the shadows of the floor and vanished. "Android Hell."

"Well how are we going to get there?" Junior inquired.

Snizzi now jabbed his thumb at Barubary, who frowned. "Oh no. I know what you're going to suggest. No. No."

They continued to stare at him.

"...NO. **NO!**"

…

…

…

"Valderiiiii! Valderaaaaa! Valderiiii, Valderaaaaa!"

"This is utterly degrading."

"Shut up and keep jumpin'!"

They were riding on the back of the large devil as he bounded from mechanical tower, one skyscraper at a time, claws momentarily digging into cold blue and red steel before jumping off to grab another. Left and right, back and forth, always moving forward, wind rushing through their hair...or lack thereof.

"Couldn't you have asked GERYON?" The Grand Devil snapped angrily.

"Hey, you're not a messenger boy, alright? You're a DELIVERY BOY." The Emperor snapped right back with a certain level of wit.

The entire region of Android Hell was made up entirely of machinations of every shape and size. Towering buildings reaching up into the "heavens", large halls and domed structures, and most noticeable of all...a sky that was eternally dark and cloudy. It had also begun to rain, but the Grand Devil kept hopping ahead of the rain, keeping them all dry. His reasoning was that he didn't want them to smell like wet dog.

Finally they landed at a large forest made entirely of metal, just as the buildings in the city had been made from metal. Getting off the Grand Devil who rushed away, eager to escape from them and get some peace, they suddenly realized what the trees were made of...it wasn't just metal.

"Hurting...so much hurting...too much work, too much...grabbed the socket...hurting hasn't stopped...the hurting hasn't stopped..."

"Are ALL of these buildings made of...living machines?" Green inquired.

"And they all rust down here in Hell. Furthermore, we populate the area with dogs who take frequent bathroom breaks, drunkards who need to relieve themselves, and of course, there's a little something I suggested to ALL of the Hells. I call it the "Howdy Stranger"..."

"OKAY, that's enough information right there." Junior said loudly, holding up his paws. "Samael's gotta be around this place somewhere, right?"

"This is where he's usually hanging around, indeed. Keep your eyes peeled and do NOT split up." Snizzi insisted. "I know this rainy and cloudy weather's dismal and it's gotten quite dark, but just hold hands and we'll be just-"

"I thought I WAS holding your hand..." Junior whimpered.

"PEEKABOO!" Samael laughed, his head popping up between the three of them_. "I kill you!" _

…

…

…

...Jack looked left, then right, then carefully slunk along the walls of the dark hallways that led down to the piping system that ran beneath the town. Having already offed the guard with a Luger, he now gripped his sma;; sack in one hand. His grip was shaky with nervousness, but he was still ready, he felt, to go through with this.

He'd told Grey that he wanted to see the World burn...

As he reached the hatch that reached down, giving him a dim view of the sewer pipes below, he smirked happily and poured the contents of the sack inside...disgusting oozy clumps of bugs that dissolved in the sewer and began to transform the contents within the sewers into something very, **VERY** flammable indeed.

He wanted to see the world burn. Kokaua Town would be first.

Elsewhere, Samael lowered the crystal ball he had and grinned at the members of the Corporation. "Well...not bad for a drug-addicted newbie, wouldn't you say?"

"He needs work, but he's definitely going to paint the town RED." A scar-eyed crimson-furred person commented, looking at Samael like he was a fortune teller that was not merely a fake, but a POOR one at that who couldn't predict the weather if he saw ten dozen storm clouds moving in. "...his resolve is admirable, but...twisted."

"Hee-hee-hee..." The other near him, who had lost his mind the same way Phineas Gage, a fellow miner, had lost his personality when a steel bar went through his head, giggled cruelly and covered his face as he tried to contain his laughter and failed.

"Soon they'll be going into Android Hell and encountering the Chalice." Another member spoke up...a rather tall, stocky and nasty, sciency-type Irken spoke up, adjusting his dark purple labcoat and the black gloves on his form for what appeared to be the eighteen bamillionth time.

"The NEW Chalice." The Beautiful Angel corrected, nodding his head, his golden eyes serenly gazing over them all. "The old one is still present in the minds of the other members of the Minor Arcana. The Coin himself is checking in on **them**..."

"I know. He won't have a problem with that issue, I'm certain." Another Irken added, adjusting the black gloves he wore, his vibrant golden amber eyes gazing out as he grinned and showed off sharp fangs, hovering above the chair.

"I hope he does not go too hard on them though." A white-furred being added, adjusting the red cape he wore, placing his paws together as he raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Junior has the potential to be someone of infinite use to us, as does Green. But what are we to do about the former Chalice?"

"Shall it come to THAT?" The Beautiful Angel inquired. "The murder not merely of a child, a young girl, but a child who was put under the knife? Forcibly made autistic? Who can't even dress herself or raise a spoon to her mouth without help?" He frowned. "What semblance of honor is in **THAT** depraved action?" He wanted to know.

"Shut your pie hole, Wang Chung." The insane one spoke up. "The bitch is gonna burn!"

"Well, then, I think the "ayes" have it. The bitch must die?" Samael inquired.

**"The Bitch Must Die!"** was the near unanimous response.

…

…

…

...Ducking and diving, Green swirled around to avoid the sweeping bony wings that threatened to cut her up into bite-size chunks. Laughing happily, with mad, cruel glee, Samael continued to twirl around, to jump and swirl and slice at her, Junior and Snizzi.

Snizzi finally managed to get a good strike in, rolling underneath the wings and kicking the Devil up into the air. Holding his fists together, he then raised them up as if to shoot a bullet from his finger as it glowed purple. "TOXIC BULLET!" He roared out.

SCHWOOSH! A purple, noxious blast erupted from his finger and soared up at Samael, striking his back and making him gurgle as blood pooled out from his mouth, staining his fur. He hit the ground, snarling angrily as he got back up and into a fighting pose as Green scrambled up the tallest tree she could find, clenching her fists as she looked downward.

"You know I'm immune to poisons!" Samael laughed.

"Fine. But I know you're not immune to GREEN!" Snizzi laughed.

**"I'M THE INHUMAN TOOOOORCH!"** Green roared, jumping off the tree, her body surrounded with a burning miasma of searing flame. Her brightly-glowing form grabbed ahold of Samael, slamming hard into him and making his eyes widen just before he EXPLODED, pieces of him flying everywhere.

"Yeeeeech." Green remarked as she dusted intestines off her body. "Ewww, some blood is dripping into my UNDERWEAR." She stuck her tongue out in disgust, unware that a certain head was bouncing after her as Snizzi began cutting up the other pieces with his tail. Well...GREEN was unaware. Junior saw...

He grabbed a "branch", ignoring the momentary scream from the android who was embedded in the tree, and impaled Samael's head as it leapt up to engulf Green in it's maw. The blood slipped down the limb as Samael gurgled, eyes narrowing.

"Little...shit..."

And with that, the body turned into black ooze that sank into the ground. "He's gone." Snizzi said, taking a deep breath. He then smiled and clapped his hands, looking Junior over. "Nice mooooves, rabbit-boy."

"...I never wanna do anything like that again." Junior said...unaware that a hole was approaching them...until it was too late and they fell inside.

They went down a laundry chute and found themselves deposited...just outside of the casino they'd walked inside! Snizzi snarled angrily. "Dang it! She sensed us. Samael's interference ruined things. If he hadn't showed up, we would have taken her out. Instead we've been bumped back to the land of the living."

"Well...maybe not for long." Junior gulped at the sight of the approaching beings that made the crowd of people around them scream and run past the threesome. Green frowned at the sight of these strange, horrid new things...they had once been...human? Experiment? Hard to say...it was as if the skin they wore now had been crumpled up and then stretched out, and then tossed into a fire to burn. It was mottled all over...gaping holes like somebody had punched them and pulled out the insides of their mouths...eyes bloodshot and weeping oily black gunk...

Needles...hundreds of them. Stuck in their backs and arms and chest. Hypercortisone X. The color was unmistakable.

"What ARE those things?" Junior whispered as he stepped backwards in horror. He tried to reach out with his ring, but as the whispy blow of blue aura shot out...it SCATTERED into nothingness upon hitting the closest monstrosity. "They've...they've got no emotions! There's like...a black hole where their soul ought to be!"

"They've been so drugged up and f—ked over spiritually they're just...shells. Jack will end up like that eventually thanks to that drug, I'm certain." Snizzi said. "Now then...back to work." He remarked, heading off to the side, holding up his three-digited paw and about to step into a blood-red portal back to his "Home".

"You're just going to leave us here to expire?" Green snarled angrily.

"Sorry. But I'm not "nice" or very "considerate". I AM Emperor of Hell."

"But we'll probably die!" Junior squeaked out.

"Tough Titties."

With that, he stepped through the portal as Green cursed. The monstrosities came closer...closer...moaning like zombies...

It was then that they noticed HIM standing there. Leaning against a nearby lightpost and smiling at them...the blue-furred experiment from the bar.

"Yo. Need some assist, dude and dudette?" He asked.

"...uh...you don't look like you could help yourself out of a paper bag with that get-up and manner of speech." Green apologized.

The experiment held his hands in the air and shook his head. "Ahhh. Always the same shit-take-mushrooms! Ain't like that, I ain't playin' round, I can totally tear it up. Name's Frequency."

He then turned and nodded at them resolutely. "Watch me work." He said, winking his brilliantly blazing yellow eyes.

He snapped his paw digits as he tapped his balled foot.

_**You gotta help me oooout...it's all a blur last niiiiight!  
We need a taxi...cuz you're hung-over, and I'm broke!**_

Green blinked as a brilliant white aura surrounded his body as he turned to look at them.

_**I lost my fake IDDDD...but you lost the motel keeeey!**_

He placed one paw on his chest and grinned snarkily.

_**Spare me your freakin' diiirty looks, now don't blame ME!**_

He then pointed at them both.

_**You wanna cash out...and get the hell outta town!**_

Then he winked before turning around and rushing at the approaching monstrosities, laughing.

_**Don't be a baby! Remember what I tell you! **_

He then leapt through the air, still blazing with that aura and holding one leg up. A single kick knocked one of the horrid things into a line of others and they all collasped into a broken, groaning pile. He then jumped on his hands and twirled around, kicking away all the monstrosities around him and breaking their bodies in half, continuing to sing even as he went around and around.

_**Shut up and put your money where your mouth is,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!**_

He then leapt back up and pointed at Junior and Green, bouncing back and forth on his feet.

_**Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!**_

Frequency then approached Green and Junior and began walking around them, spreading out his arms as he continued to sing.

_**Why are these lights so bright!  
Did we get hitched last night?  
Dressed up like Elvis...**_

He then held tapped Junior's ring and grinned broadly.

_**Why am I wearing your class ring?  
Don't call your mother...cuz now we're partners in crime! **_

He took up another fighting position as the monstrosities rushed at him and he bounced back and forth slightly before rushing at them.

_**Don't be a baby, remember what I've told you!**_

He jumped high...so very high...SOARING into the air like an eagle, the coming down on the things one after another, shattering their heads and then leaping up and spinning around, surrounded with that white aura and knocking their heads off as he performed a spinning tornado kick.

_**Shut up and put your money where your mouth is,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!**_

He then pointed upwards as he landed, shaking his butt and making the immediate area around the things fall to the ground from a small earthquake that seemed only to affect THEM...

_**Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!**_

He then held onto Green's hand and led her around in a circle...going around the collapsed beings on the ground, holding onto her with one hand while the other was stretched out.

_**You got me into this...  
information overload, situation lost control!  
Send out an SOS...  
And get some cash out!  
We're gonna tear up the town!  
Don't be a baby, remember what I told you!**_

He then held both hands, speaking softly into her ears as he pulled her close...

_**Remember what I told you!  
Remember what I told you...told you...told you!**_

She knew...she KNEW what to do. Instantly she and he raised their hands up, moving their hips back and forth as they sang and beautiful light shone from them.

_**Shut up and put your money where your mouth is,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!**_

She and he both spread their arms out wide as the light grew brighter, and the monstrosities on the ground who had been trying to get up sizzled and burnt in the light, dissolving away!

_**Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now,  
that's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas!  
That's what you get, baby! Shake the glitter!  
Shake-shake-shake the glitter!  
Give me some cash out, bayyyybaaaay!  
Give me some cash out, bayyyybaaaay!**_

Finally both Green and Frequency stood there, back to back, striking a triumphant pose as their hair whipped around in the Vegas night and Junior gaped in awe. The things were burnt away...gone.

"How did you...DO that?" He asked.

"It's called a Duet!" Frequency laughed. "HE taught it to me...it was time I taught it to you, the same way I taught it to your dad!"

"My dad knows about this?"

"Yes...he just forgot about it. He'll remember eventually though, babe." Frequency said gently. "Hey, uh...I hope we can rock it some other time, y'know? You were totally tubular." He told Green, waving goodbye with a paw before heading off.

"...he seems really nice." Green said, nodding her head.

Junior frowned. He'd sensed something in Frequency...paws stained with the blood of a child and the guilt that went with it.

What had he DONE?

It was then that something else happened. Something very unexpected that also caught him off guard.

"Junior?"

He turned and looked into Green's black and green eyes as they throbbed with new intent, a curious expression on her face as she slightly pursed her lips, trying to figure out the new feelings she was experiencing.

"Do you feel what I'm feeling right now?" She asked.

"What are you feeling?"

"That some unknown force is...is wanting me to do THIS."

She promptly hugged him and held him close and suddenly Junior was aware of a warmth. A blissful, but somewhat sublime warmth of gentleness that was coming out from her body. He found himself hugging her right back.

"I think I love you very, very much." Green realized out loud. "I suppose I've liked you so much for so long that...it was just going to happen."

"I think I've liked you very much for a long time too." Junior agreed.

The two then looked deeply into each other. Black/green into blue/red. Then...

A kiss. The fountain nearby erupted with water. Somewhere, casino slot machines ka-chinged wildly. They'd most definitely gotten lucky.


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

_If one looks at the story of Jeremiah...that old "bullfrog", you'll immediately take one message away just from reading five minutes into what he said to his people, and the message is this:_

_I have bad news...and worse news. Which would you like to hear first?_

_BUT...if one looked more closely, one could see a message of hope...for at the end of terrible struggle and trial and suffering, they would find good waiting for them. The problem was that the people couldn't...or WOULDN'T...see past the initial message of sorrow and doomsaying._

_Why did they stick their fingers in their ears? Why did they have to start screaming in denial?_

_Ignorance is not a sin. But willful ignorance is very close to pride: the belief that NOTHING bad will happen to you. "I know all I need to know, you can go take a hike now!"_

_I've got news for you that will be properly demonstrated in the following short, short story. A woman tired of hearing men toss indecent remarks at her trains herself to ignore those comments. One day a construction worker yells out "HEY! LADY!" She ignores him. Again and again. But what he was TRYING to warn her about was the car coming._

_Just because you won't listen to reason or anybody else's opinions doesn't mean they won't be true. You can ignore the honking of a train coming all you want, the TRAIN doesn't care._

_One must go head to head with suffering just as one must own up to one's own evil._

_Now put on your boxing gloves. It's clobberin' time!_

...

…

…

…SSSSSS!

There was a frying sound taking place inside the kitchen of King's apartment, on the bridge between the city of Station Square and the world IT was placed inside, and that of Kokaua Town. As a member of the MA, specifically the Magician, King was an excellent healer of the spirit, being well-versed in discovering what lay dormant and festering in the minds of others. Often he was called on to give psychiatric advice to various sapients, or, as the term was better known, "furries".

Hence, the door to his communal-style house was AAAAALWAYS open and the smell of various meals frequently drifted over the houses of Station Square.

"King! Where are you?" A spunky voice called out.

"In here, Sassi." King responded, whistling as he tossed the ingredients of his pan up into the air slightly to shake things up.

"Whatcha makin'?" Sassi inquired. She was a brown fox with loooong brown hair and deep brown eyes with two tails.

"Breakfast!" He explained naturally.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Ask, but be brief, youngling." King said, sticking his tongue out and holding it up in concentration as he got back to work on adding some spices to his breakfast.

"You're NOT that scary as far as snakes go. What do you even EAT?" Sassi inquired.

"You want to see what I'm adding NEXT to my dish?" He asked, holding up a mirror from his robe's pockets and displaying a surprised and horrified Sassi in it. "I must say, you look GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT." He added darkly.

**"!"** Sassi howled as she took off like a dog rushing after a bone, King throwing back his head nad laughing.

"Ssssssssah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!"

"Why'd you do that?" Lilo asked, frowning and putting her fists on her hips. "You're a vegetarian." She said stonily.

"But SASSI didn't know that." King wisecracked, grinning slightly as he looked back at Lilo. He liked doing pranks like that which involved him playing off of other people's fear of his species.

"You're WHAT?" Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel gasped, eyes going wide as he looked Green and Junior over, with Ariel holding onto her notepad nearby. Lilo and King heard them yelling and King put his egg omlette onto a plate as he grabbed a knife and fork and peeked his head, along with Lilo, into the living room/kitchen doorway to see the family's discussion.

"We've decided to go steady." Junior said. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend now."

"You're not going to say "no", are you, doctor?" Green inquired. "If you give me that line on how it's not mechanically possible, that won't work, I know that Murideans can mate with any-"

"No, no." Hammy shook his head and held his paw in the air. "No, that's not it." He insisted. "I'm just...surprised. Very much so. And..." He took a deep breath. "It's fine with me. Just make sure you use protection."

Both the kids gaped. "DAAAAAAD!" Junior groaned.

Outside the house, listening in through the window, David, who had been spying on them, intent on finishing what Frequency ought to have done laughed so hard that he fell off the ladder he was on and had to crawl away, still laughing. Oh LORD...oh LORD, it was too good! The daughter of Grey, Kila AND Zim and the son of Hamsterviel and the bastard daughter of Angel and Leroy going steady together? And having CHILDREN one day, most likely?

Oh, this really was just too good. He finally made his way to a tree and leaned against it, allowing the last of his giggles to squeak out before he composed himself and looked over at the Beautiful Angel. "Ah...ah, sorry, but it's just so FUNNY!"

"Right, right. Anyhow, we've got new orders. Frequency is hunting the former Suit of Chalices down...and in…" He checked a pocket watch. "…four hours…I have to deal with the little angel and his friends who are now currently cleaning up the church." The Beautiful Angel informed David.

"Your father is quite right. I know the consequences of not using protection properly…or using cheap protection. That's why I get so many Fathers' Day cards in the mail." King spoke up.

"**EWWWWWWWWWW!**" Everyone else groaned.

…

…

…

… "Kor has only got one ball, Purple's got two, but both are small, Reddy's package isn't large at all, and Spork has got no balls at all!" Darth sang out as he cleaned the large crystalline statue of Jesus on the cross which hang in the church Page called home. Page was helping a cone-headed, pink experiment with slightly thin ears down the aisle and he kissed her hand before waving goodbye. That was Crystallene, the experimental female he'd had a child with. His "wife", whom had given him a child from in-vitro, the same way Jude had had a child with Bellatrix. The Catholic Church allowed in-vitro, this was a grateful change, and was much more sympathetic towards homosexuals, allowing them to freely enter the priesthood.

Draco, who was with them, had commented that this was for an ulterior reason: to ensure that the gays couldn't adopt kids and to shy them away from society, the Catholic Church swept them into the Benedictine Order. Nacht had visibly laughed at this, a rarity, and Myr had decided the best course of action was to sing some songs while they cleaned.

"Spork has got no balls at all!" Page laughed as he swept the aisles. "Oh I do so love to laugh."

"One question." Draco asked Darth as the Hierophant went over to a table and placed a large, two-foot tall candle down by a brown cloth hanging up overhead. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at it and the other candles nearby.

"For the recently deceased or for those in great danger." Darth explained. "It is for Kila."

"And Zim?" Draco inquired.

"…" Darth shook his head after some time and then put a candle that was a couple inches high next to it.

"THAT'S for him?"

"Yes." Darth said, nodding.

"Why do you hate Zim exactly?" Page asked again.

Darth wheeled around and placed his gloved claws on his hips, his milky white eyes blazing, his balled antennae quivering with fury. "He got my beloved KILLED." He hissed angrily. "I had…" He bit his lip. "There was this Arosean…named Erin. She had given up being Tallest Red's mate to be MINE. We…"

They noticed he was about to cry. "We were going to be a family. She was three months pregnant when a lab accident he caused made her get eaten alive by an Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob!"

"Yes, I remember reading up on that. If Dibbun Membrane hadn't blown himself along with it, the entire galaxy would have been eaten alive!" Page admitted.

Darth covered his eyes. "I…I have tried to…tried so HARD to forgive him for what he did to my beloved wife, but…but it's so hard."

"But you have no problem giving a candle for Kila?" Draco asked.

"I don't suppose you have an enormous amount of literature on the Sacred Feminine?" Nacht inquired.

"Why, yes!" Darth admitted, nodding.

"Ah, I sense a deep devotion to the opposite sex in you." Nacht remarked, smiling. "That reminds me of White…he's surprisingly charming to the opposite sex."

"He DOES know how to treat ladies right." Myr admitted. "Say, can't you control people? You didn't FORCE Erin to fall for you by making her dump Red?"

He found a mechanical spider leg was jabbing it's point into his throat, some silvery blood trailing down from his neck.

"That is ENOUGH, Judgment." Darth whispered angrily, his eyes alit with burning light. "I would NEVER do such a lowly thing! Yes, I can control any being with Irken blood as easily as I breathe, and if I sink my claws into any other organic, I can control THEM too, but I am not a monstrous schemer!" He hissed, reaching up and digging his claws into Myr's cheek. "I have naught but concern and RESPECT for women and great devotion to my race!"

"So you don't brainwash people in your church? I've heard rumors." Myr said stonily.

"Disgusting lies." Darth said, shaking his head and letting go of Myr. "I have HONOR." He insisted. "I would not BRAINWASH any Irken into following the Way I have been teaching."

"Well that's a relief. Say…can I ask YOU a question, "Father"?" Draco inquired as he raised a hand and used Yin's power to add some water to a bucket that he was filling to do the confessional booth.

"Yes, but I'm no "father", remember? I have not been ordained as a father." Page insisted gently.

"Why do you live in the church attic?"

"To obtain Contemptus Mundi." Page explained.

"...contempt for the world?" Draco asked, knowing some Latin.

"I have contempt for being here." Esmeralda mumbled. "I HATE churches. They're boring and stuffy and make me sneeze and sniffle every ten seconds. Why'd I have to come?"

"It's good to do charity work. And no, contemptus means DETACHMENT." Myr clarified. "It's not like communism or socialism...where all things are shared. Those have too much focus on material things. Above all, you must be willing to give your material possessions up at a moment's notice. That's why Page lives the simple life." Myr explained.

"But Jewish teaching states that there's nothing THAT bad about possessions." Nacht added, frowning slightly. "Cannot money be used for great reasons?"

"Yes, but possessions are extensions of the self. Hell is not other people...Hell is the self."

"Hell is Satres." Draco spoke up, turning around the original quote and substituting the author for the original point. This made Nacht smile slightly.

"Hell is having to do church work at lunch when I could be making a baby with my baby." Esmeralda thought angrily.

"Heh-heh. Hell is Selfishness, really. Caring only about your own needs. You must be willing to give your entire self up to devote it to the greatest causes of good and at a moment's notice." Page went on.

"Even if you'll die for it?"

"Yes. Death is a violent transition into a better life, but it's not something to be hated or feared, necessarily-" Page blinked. Wait a tick...none of his friends had just said that!

He turned along with the others to see somebody who was unmistakably an angel of some kind. Brown hair like a thick mane that fell down from his head, amber/gold eyes that brilliantly twinkled and Caucasian skin that was richer and darker in tone than most...mixed, apparently, with another race. Furthermore, this person had a very gentle and lovely face, soft in tone and knowledgeable, and the wings...

The wings were dark in color, but large and majestic. It was hard to deny that they were impressive. The color of the wings didn't frighten them, but that question he'd asked had been...unnerving.

"**Yowza-yowza**." Esmeralda remarked, looking him over.

"What do you seek?" Page asked of the newcomer. "Who are you? Speak your name freely, we're all friends in this House of God."

"I am the Rugged Strength of God. Azazel." He told them all, nodding his head. "Member of the Minor Arcana, I am the "Wand" and have come for you." He told them all. "To put an end to your lives so that you cannot interfere with the plans my associates are putting into action."

Draco moved to clean his clock, pulling the sword off his back, but Page raised a furry paw up. "Hold." He insisted before turning to look this newcomer over closely. "We will NOT fight in the house of God!"

"I've no intention of doing so, servant of Him." Azazel added. He nodded his head. "I'll wait for you at the picnic area of the park. Around the collection of oak trees. I don't want to damage this lovely building!"

With a cheery wave, he headed off. Nacht blinked. "Interesting. The MINOR Arcana. Page, what do you know about the Minor Arcana?"

"Well, next to nothing, I'm afraid. I only know it's got 52 cards and they're all related to average, everyday situations rather than more loftier goals like the Major Arcana." Page sheepishly told them. "And that's only because Staccato told me."

"STACCATO?" Esmeralda asked. "But he's a prude of all prudes! He's worse than NICK!"

"I know. He was telling me as he burnt them in a big pile. He confiscated them from some mugger he got. He says they invite Sin into you."

"Yeah, and to lie with man is an abomination and there's probably something about "Thou shalt not grind thy coochie into your neighbor's bunker tent", right?" Esmeralda asked, licking her lips.

"You have me all wrong. I'm more than just the same shtick over and over. You're thinking of **627!**" Page defended.

(David pops his head out from the side in a breaking-the-fourth-wall-moment.) "Okay, okay, he's twistedly perverted, I GET IT about my dad! SHEESH! Shakaraka's the one who STARTED it!" (He then pops his head back and the scene returns to normal.)

"Besides, Mikhail, NOBODY listens to the things in Leviticus or Deuteronomy…" Page added as they headed out the door. "The whole thing's made up of ridiculous rules, like what is unclean to eat and…" His beautiful pond-colored eyes widened. "What…to…eat…oh NO."

"What?"

"King's having a picnic with Echo and Yuna at the park! TODAY! He said it was a present for them in exchange for a competition they won in Magic class!"

"So THEY'RE the ones that turned Jumba and Pleakley into imps two days ago?" Nacht inquired. "Quite impressive, really."

"We've got to get them OUT of there!" Draco realized. "Who KNOWS what he'll do to them?"

…

…

…

… "…you're JOKING."

"Hey! We're playing Twister!" Echo laughed, waving at the guys. "King's REALLY good at this since he has no spine."

"True. True." The serpent magus remarked, grinning as he bent over Yuna, with Echo underneath Azazel.

"Limbo LOWER now!" Esmeralda snickered.

"...this...is kinda weird to take in." Page admitted.

"How about some tea?"

As it were, Azazel, King, Echo and Yuna were all on a twister sheet that was placed on a brown and black blanket that stretched out underneath a particularly large oak tree. After putting Twister away, King concoted some sweet-smelling green tea and Azazel sipped some of it via a small white cup, raising it up in time with the others as they all went SLUUUUUURP at the same time.

"Daaaaaamn. This IS good tea! I don't even LIKE tea. I like coffee." Azazel admitted. "You ever try coffee?"

"It does things to me." King remarked nervously. "One time White switched my tea for coffee…"

"Yeah, that was in the news! You got rushed to the hospital because your leg was curling up behind your head and stuff!" Yuna laughed.

King nervously blushed, putting down his cup and holding one three-clawed hand over his mouth. "Er…well…"

"Hey, who's this?" Azazel inquired, holding up a picture from King's knapsack. It was of two children, King, and some unknown women with the words "My Family" and a little red heart to the left of said words at the top. One child had the light blue hair King had, the other had his mom's red hair and his dad's golden/yellow eyes.

"Oh…my family. That woman is my wife…my HUMAN wife. She and I are divorced and she took Ophidius and Hebina with her." King explained softly.

"Alright, but why's her head crossed out?" Yuna asked innocently.

King looked to the side. "…the Irish aren't like us." He said at last, softly, quietly.

"What? They don't have heads?" Yuna inquired.

"…it's hearts they don't have. They don't know how to love." King burbled out, trying in vain to suppress tears.

Azazel stood there, silent as Yuna and Echo hugged the serpent magus to comfort him. He then placed his hand on King's shoulder and gave him a pat and a sorrowful, sympathetic look before turning and glancing down at some dirt that was below him.

"Why are you sipping tea with them? Aren't you interesting in killing us?" Draco asked as Azazel began to draw in the dirt.

Silence. He just kept drawing. A zephyr blew through their respective hair as Alex folded his arms. "Well?"

"Tell you what, let he who has never committed a wrong once throw the first punch." Azazel answered.

All of them looked this newcomer over with new eyes. "You ARE interesting." Nacht decided at last.

"There's **nothing** wrong with me being kind to you before I have to finish you." Azazel explained, standing up and patting Echo on the head before stepping back.

"True. It costs predators little, if anything, to be kind to our prey, and it means EVERYTHING to them." King added. "I'm glad to meet someone of similar honor."

"Well then, let's get started and I show you what I can do AFTER the kids high-tail it." Azazel added, jabbing his thumb at them. "I don't want them getting hurt in this when I start flinging thunderbolts around or turning you into frogs and such."

Myr decided to be snarky. "Oh, shut up and make me a sandwich."

POOF!

"…I don't care who you are, that's pretty damn funny." Draco remarked as a ham sandwich with a pair of eyes glared up at Azazel, who covered his mouth and snickered madly.

"OY! Change me back!" Myr snarled, a slice of cheese acting as his "tongue".

"Say please."

"…PLEASE."

POOF!

He was returned to normal. Smelling himself, he moaned. "OHHHH. I can't even EAT pork! That was so INSULTING!"

"Sorry, I get it from my Dad." Azazel laughed.

"Well I get the feeling I'm going to have to take out the big guns and use one of the most potent black magics in the world..." King decided.

He held his hands up and closed his eyes. "TITAN, I INVOKE YOU!"

THWOOOOOM! The ground before them opened up and from the chasm a large, hulking behemoth of a bodybuilder in a loincloth, tribal necklace, sandals and large, hairy chest appeared. He grinned evilly and raised his hands up to crush Azazel...

Who raised HIS hands up and closed HIS eyes. "TERRATO, I INVOKE YOU!"

THWOOOM! ANOTHER thing emerged from the ground, a dark brown serpent with bright red eyes and sharp fangs, cobra-esque in appearance and hissing darkly...he was even BIGGER than Titan and wrapped himself around the giant, squeezing tightly.

"HEY! OFF!" King snapped at the serpent.

Terrato nervously blushed at King and then slunk back into the ground as Titan passed out. Azazel frowned. "How did you...do that?"

"I happen to have some authority over things that crawl upon their bellies, eating dust. I WAS appointed by my people to choose the gifts and curse of my species when the time came." King explained.

"So you ARE The Serpent's nephew?" Azazel inquired. "Oh naughty, naughty!" He laughed, waving a finger in the air.

"What's he talkin' bout, Willis?" Yuna asked as she and Echo listened in using spy equipment they'd bought off the internet, hiding in an old tree hollow about fifty yards away.

"Wait...are you saying..." Page gaped at King, seeing him in new eyes.

"Adam and Eve got tempted by a serpent Satan entered, remember?" Echo told Yuna.

"That thing was your UNCLE?"

"I never LIKED him, y'know!" King snapped. "He had a nasty sense of humor. AND he ruined it for the rest of us! So after I was chosen as the representative of my people I sent a message to EVERY snake in the Garden…I cut him up into chunks before everyone's eyes, tossed one piece at every single family present and said I'd do the same to THEM unless they got in line behind me. It proved to be a startlingly effective way of keeping them from getting out of line."

Azazel clapped his hands. "NIIIIICE." He complimented. "Going the way of Saul! Now then…I believe it is MY move." He raised his hands up. "I INVOKE THEE…VALEFOR!"

TWHOOOOOOSHA! A swirling tornado of light and wind rushed down as a beautiful bird with a slightly humanoid chest appeared, including two shapely breasts and large golden rings hanging down like a necklace around her. She had a sharp beak, beautiful red feathers on her head and a gleaming white body. She let out a loud call as she rose into the air.

"Beautiful, is she not? As an angel." Azazel announced.

"I'm afraid this next summon's no looker…" King laughed. "I INVOKE THEE…IFRIT!"

SHA-THWOOOM! A burning pillar EXPLODED into existence before them as if God's wrath was trying to spontaneously consume some unknown sinner below. As it faded, a being with sharp clawed fingers and taloned feet and HUGE, brown, curly horns appeared…a djinn, a being of fire, with magma dripping out of his mouth like spittle and strong muscles. He had teeth that were so big he couldn't close his mouth all the way and looked like somebody had beaten him with an ugly stick at birth. Over…and over…and over.

"Well, I suppose I'm going to have to end this. I really can't waste TOO much time. I INVOKE THEE…BAHAMUT!"

"BAHAMUT!" Everyone else yelled.

KRA-KOOOOOOM! The heavens opened and down he came, beating on his majestic wings, golden claws shining on a dark blue and white body. He had a lance strapped to his back, thick and deadly with glimmering gemstones embedded in it and a large crystal in the center of his chest. He had gleaming white fangs and deeply intelligent eyes that gazed down on them all.

"The Godly Saint of Dragons. You lose." Azazel remarked calmly.

"Is that…aaaah, that's Cupidia's smell on you!" Bahamut announced in his golden, deep voice, glancing at Draco. "Hello Grandson!"

Azazel's mouth gaped open, though not NEARLY as largely as the others, save for King, who shrugged, and Draco, who brushed his hair back. "GRANDSON?"

"Yeah, uh…my…mom…er…dragonkind gets around a lot…usually the females seduce strong men to make children that can hide among the human population without fear, but my mom actually ended up falling in love with this one mayor and…well…" He blushed deeply. "I have a LOT of half-brothers and sisters…that's not something I'm proud of."

"…well I can't very well order you to attack your grandson." Azazel said simply.

Bahamut looked him over, frowning. "Why not? You DID call me fair and square, Rugged Strength."

"Because family ought not to fight family." Azazel explained simply.

"You guys ought not to be fighting either." White spoke up, appearing from behind a nearby tree. "King, c'mon, we're goin' to our new base of operations."

"Ah, good, you're willing to work for the Corporation?" Azazel asked, clasping his hands on White's shoulders and smiling happily.

"Indeed." White said, nodding.

"Y-y-you're working for the BAD GUYS NOW!" Echo yelled. "**WHY!**"

"It'll be interesting and fun. And they promised me a lot of money." White added as an after thought.

"…" King nervously bit his lip, then hugged Echo and Yuna tightly, drawing them close and whispering into their ear. _"I don't want you telling anyone else about that Clan book you found. Not until I say so. Do you trust me?"_

"Yeah." They said at the same time. "We do."

"Alright. I must follow my heart, and White is a dear, dear friend." King said, bowing. "Let us take our leave, Michael."

White scowled slightly at being called by his first name, but didn't make a big deal out of it.

DRACO on the other hand, was furious.

**"How…dare…you."** He growled, fists clenching, not noticing Azazel's hand was glowing. "You're turning your back on us! The MA, your FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY!" He hissed. "I shall-"

"He made his choice and must live with it. Just as you have made your choice…"

THWOO-LUCKA!

"And shall die for it."

The others screamed or gasped. A sharp bolt of electrically-charged magic had been launched through Draco's chest and he was clutching his chest. He gasped, the sunglasses falling off his face and falling to the ground as Esmeralda kneeled by his side and shook him.

"DAD! DAD!" She sobbed.

King turned pale. White looked away and Azazel clapped his hands. All three of them were gone as Esmeralda kept shaking Draco.

"I can't believe they're working for THEM now." Alex said, frowning deeply.

"King a snake, it's totally in his nature to betray, is it not?" Nacht inquired.

"He's not doing this to betray US, he's doing this because he does not wish to betray Michael. I do not believe that he will actually KILL us…he is as pacifistic as Nick, if not more so." Darth added.

"I'm sensing you got a biiiig "but" coming." Yuna spoke up, eyebrow raised. "Would he HURT us? If they asked him to?"

"…I don't honestly know, dibbun." Darth admitted quietly. "…I don't honestly know…"

"MY DAD IS DYING!" Esmeralda screamed. "I NEED…I…" She blinked. "…I know what I need to do. There's still some color left in his cheeks…" She whispered, caressing his cheeks.

She took off her jacket. Now she wore only a pink pair of underwear that read "Juicy". She extended her black claws and grit her teeth. "I'm not ALL dragon…so I'll have to make this really count and go all the way. All my heart to keep you whole…"

Yuna whipped her head to the side, realizing what Ezzie was about to do. "WAIT-"

"My strength to purify your weakness!"

SCHLUCKA!

She clawed her chest and dove in deep, yanking out a dark red light. It pulsed like a beating heart…and she SLAMMED it down into Draco's chest…then keeled over, her eyes rolling up in her head, blood dripping out of her nostrils, twitching before lying still.

Draco stirred and before their eyes, changed. His hair became metallic crests, spikes ran down his back as he shrunk into a reptilian form, wings grew from his body, his eyes became big and black, and his face elongated out slightly and fangs filled his mouth. His fingertips became silver in color as he was transformed back into the form they all knew so well…Heartwing.

Heartwing stood up, gasping. "I'm…I'm okay!" He grinned happily. "I'm okay, I'm…I'm…" He turned his head, noticing Esmeralda. His face fell on the spot and he nuzzled her with his snout. "…Ezzie?" He whispered.

No movement…not an ounce…

_"Ezzie?..."_

…Sari was having that dream again. About her past, this time…not her future.

Whimpering, he approached her as she noticed the tranquilizer pistol he had in his pocket, and the mournful expression lingering in his yellow, vibrant eyes. Frequency sighed sadly as he folded his arms and Sari stepped back.

"You saw me coming in your dreams, didn'tcha, Sari? C'mon, you can TOTALLY tell me."

"…yes, I did." Sari mumbled.

"Then you know what's going to happen?" He asked quietly. "C'mon, just say it and get it over with. Like…tearin' off a band-aid."

"You're gonna kill me." She whispered, covering her eyes. "I knew it would happen, but I…I knew running would do no good." She began to cry. "Free, please, just…just do it quickly, I'm begging you."

She then felt his paw caress her cheek as he pulled her close. He smelled like a calming ocean breeze…she'd always liked that about him. Yet it frightened her now. Oh God, here it came, the snap of her neck-

He patted her head. "I'm NOT gonna waste ya, honest and true. I couldn't do that to ya." He then sighed and held the tranquilizer gun to her neck. "This'll hurt for just a sec."

THICKA! The dart struck her jugular and she felt a numbing pain rush through her body. She fell back into the couch as Frequency took out a small bag from his pocket…and pulled it open, revealing tools. Surgery tools.

"Don't worry, princess." Frequency insisted in that surfer tone of his as he sat next to her and patted her cheek. "You ain't feelin' nothin, I promise, okay?"

Sari would wish that he HAD simply killed her. She could not move her body, which she was PARTIALLY grateful for…she didn't want to be able to look up to see him cutting her head open with the scapel, his eyes set, still intent on finishing his latest task…she was glad she could not feel the blood and…and YELLOW stuff…dripping down her face…what was that yellow stuff? BRAINS?

Glad she was slowly losing her hearing…if she continued to hear the squelchy slicing sounds of the scapel, she-

Sari screamed and awoke, whacking the side of her head over and over as she clenched one fist and sobbed and sobbed tearfully in her bed…the cause of her nightmare sitting in the room, looking her over like he was going to cry. Frequency looked down and away as Sari gradually settled down.

"Oh Sari." He whispered softly. "I'm sorry." He added, standing up and approaching her as he placed his paw on her cheek. She knew he had no claws, she was vaguely aware of that, but she would have PREFFERED claws…this soft feeling on her cheek was more unnerving than calming. She wanted to run, but her thoughts were all fuzzy, she couldn't concentrate, and she had a feeling it was Frequency's wave-riding technique being used on her. He was fiddling with her brain waves…

He reached for her neck, his eyes still looking intently into hers.

"Hold."

Frequency turned around and saw a robot there, standing with her arms folded. Her yellow visor gleamed as her red helmet wobbled slightly as she slowly shook her head, her black-gloved hands gripping tightly into her arms with their claws. "I'M to kill her, but first she is to suffer. That is what we agreed on." The ruler of Android Hell explained.

"…" Frequency looked mournful. He sighed and then stepped back as the Ruler of Android Hell held up a small remote and placed it on Sari's head.

"Statement: All humans can be broken. I intend to break you."

Sari screamed as pain tore through her.

…

…

…

… "So…we need information." Nick said, crossing his arms as he and Grey and Lilo stood side by side, looking a dirty, filthy hobo named Hobo over. It had been a day since King had left with White to defect to the "Corporation" and Sari had gone missing as well. They needed all the information they could get.

"I don't know nothin', I don't see nothin'."

"LIVES are at stake." Lilo insisted. "Hobo, you always brag about knowing all sorts of underworld activity. Why don't you tell us what we'd like to know? We're asking NICELY."

Hobo burped and covered his mouth. "Really, I can't help ya."

"…you're lookin' tasty today." Grey spoke up, grinning and showing off all his teeth.

"Why you gotta be like that?" Hobo asked, frowning.

"Oh, I'm **SERIOUS.**" Grey added, licking his lips. "I haven't had lunch yet, so I'm quite peckish."

Hobo immediately gulped. "Uh…look, all I know is that they hide off in Japan! That and the fact that they put up a lot of nightclubs and bars and discotheques, but that's all a front for distributing Hypercortisone X."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lilo remarked, shaking her head. "Fine! We're a-goin' into the Lion's Den. We'd better call Hanako and Ranku up. They can help us with this." She told the others.

"I can't eat him, can I?" Grey asked, jabbing a claw at Hobo.

"…noooooo." Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry. I'm just REAAAAALLY hungry…"

And so, off to Japan! Nick and Lilo and Grey all hooked a ride up with Senkoukura, Makani and Esmeralda, who were eager to go along with them for some fun…and to say hi to their old friends. Waving goodbye to them, Sandy saluted at Nick.

"I promise I'll track Jack down." He insisted. "And make things right."

"Think of what your parents would do, Sanders Pelekai." Lilo warned him, nodding her head as they waved back at him from atop the large, hulking frame of Senkoukura's majestic, fully-grown, white, red and gold-armored body.

"Don't worry, I'll sing my song and turn him good!" Sandy laughed, jumping up and waving enthusiastically as they finally zoomed out of sight. When they were long gone, Sandy rubbed his paws together. "First thing's first." He told Kuko and Peleka. "You two, you're more than a match for Gavrilo, go seek him out. Darth and I will go find Sari, and Myr, you and Nacht track down Jack, alright?"

All of them nodded. It was time to get to work!

…

…

…

… "Who is our next target, my fellow scientist?" The gloved, labcoat-wearing one spoke.

"Ah, that would be…"

FLIP-FLIP. Some searching through pages attached to a snazzy metal clipboard.

"Welllllll. That oh-so-adorable Hawaiian girl is our next target, Zoburg."

Zoburg grinned, showing off zipper-toothed teeth as he held up a vial. "The catalyst I've been working on will turn all her wonderful powers into OUR gain. Just think of what will happen when we put the _Bios_ she has to good use!"

The white-furred one rubbed his chin. "I am not so certainly certain it shall turn out the way we envision it. Ah well." He shrugged. "In any case…our new scaly recruit is to bring her to our lair." He shivered.

"Ah, you HATE snakes, eh?"

"They are CREEPY! VERY MUCH SO!" The white-furred one snapped angrily.

"Oh calm down, Jacques. Sometimes it is a good idea to have in your employ somebody whom you KNOW will have cold feet lingering in the back of their mind constantly." Zoburg laughed, his antennae bouncing as he did so.

Jacques rubbed his paws together. It was time to get to work…


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

_The number one killer of evildoers everywhere…well, in terms of CAUSES and not types of people…would have to be not accidentally falling into their own shark pit, or getting offed by their own men…it's really underestimation._

_Specifically, villains underestimate heroes CONSTANTLY. They have no idea just how crafty the good guys can be, how skilled or how intelligent or, if nothing else, how damn LUCKY!_

_This is often their downfall. And it is also Death's downfall too. Death, you see, is not simply a force of darkness, but a thing that believes that it always has the last word. Wrong, wrong, wrong._

_The Major Arcana has an edge over it. A "Governor of Death", it's representative granted immense power over death. Many people over the ages have been chosen as Reapers to escort those who die to their final destination. In Kokaua Town, Rupert got that job upon entering the Major Arcana. He's been at it for ages._

_And BECAUSE he can freely enter the realms of Death…because he judges who's time it is to leave and who must still remain…he is our inside man…_

_We need an edge. We need allies in this new fight..._

Rupert crossed his arms. He was facing down Grendella, who was visibly sweaty…and pregnant. Very much so. She was set to give birth any day now. She sat on a couch across from Rupert as Ariel and Junior and Green stood nearby. Green was sipping some pink lemonade along with Junior and Ariel was tapping her pencil to her notepad.

"Alright." He took a deep breath. "Run this by me one…more…time…" He said slowly.

"I know perfectly well you're the reason that people can come back so quickly." She said, nodding.

Rupert sighed again. Yes, this was true. As Death of the Major Arcana, he could change a person. What had been dead could live again, laugh, smile, dance, hold another tightly…

But it required him to undergo a looong journey through a dark spiritual realm. And it meant not simply travelling through the Grand Hell Snizzi ruled over…Snizzi would razz Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel about his mission, but out of respect, not interfere. What Hammy was worried about was the fact that as he brought the spiritual selves of those that perished back to the land of the living, he was constantly tested and attacked by various forces of cruelty who lived in the Other Side.

Demons were ALWAYS looking to snack on souls that were freshly dead. And if they were fresh AND good souls, they were especially delicious. Rupe had actually fought Samael himself off for the soul of Lilo and Nick. He had…not yet…found Myrtle. This greatly disturbed him. He feared the worst…

"Please, can't you bring my parents and Sandy's parents back?"

"…you understand how dangerous this will be for me?" He asked, frowning. He had been greatly bothered by their deaths, yes, (though perhaps less so for Stitch and Angel, who had a bad habit of giving him guff and occasionally threatening to turn him into a gerbil sandwich, which first made him yell "HAMSTER SANDWICH" then made him gulp in fear of the threat) but he was also nervous about doing a trip NOW when Samael was slinking around. He preferred to do as few trips as possible. It was less work and he DID want to make sure he didn't' stay away from his family too long.

"Yes. Please, I'll do anything!" Grendella insisted.

Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel placed his paws together and closed his eyes. "…very well." He decided. "I'll enter the realms of Death and return Bonnie, Clyde, Stitch, Angel and the others who have recently died back to us. But I will require…assistance."

"What do you want us to do?" Ariel asked, quickly writing it down on her notepad and handing it to her husband to read.

"Pray." He told her softly, standing up and holding up his paws, focusing. A blue and red light shimmered and then a scythe appeared in his paws with a long, strong wooden shaft and a slick steely grey blade. He turned to the side and sliced into the air, and a large circular portal opened up, swirling around like a pair of Hypno-Glasses. He stepped inside…

…

…

…

… "Thanks for bringing me back, daddy." Esmeralda said nervously. "I kinda feel like I didn't…deserve it." She admitted, rubbing her neck nervously, blushing.

Heartwing just laughed and shook his head, then took out a banjo and began picking at it with his fingers as Lilo looked her over. "Do you think Heartwing sharing half his heart with Esmeralda will…create problems?"

"Like what?" Grey asked, tilting his head to the side, his green-tinted black eyes blinking slowly.

Nick snickered then and they turned their heads to see who was singing.

_**"Our song is a slamming screen door, sneaking out late, tappin' on your window! When you're on the phone and you're talking real slow…cuz it's late and your momma don't know!"**_

"Oh. You mean like being…that." Grey blinked as Esmeralda and Senkoukura bounced their heads back as Heartwing plucked away at the banjo he'd brought. "I forgot Senkoukura shared a half of his dad's heart too…"

_**"And when I got home, 'fore I said Amen, I asked God if he…could play it again!"**_/i They went on, all belting out the last bit of the chorus.

Heartwing grinned eagerly as swayed left and right on top of the back of his son's form. He LOVED being on top of the world, looking down at the beautiful pristine orb that he called the Earth. He loved seeing how wonderful it was just by getting up. You didn't have to far, he felt, to see how nice the world around you was. All you had to do was keep your eyes open!

Being able to fly didn't hurt either, he thought. He remembered the first time he'd shown this to little Chibisuke when he'd first tried to fly. And sadly, Chibi had plummeted to the Earth after flying up into a storm cloud and getting blinded by sharp rain. Luckily Heartwing had had half a heart to spare…and due to the light within him, he healed VERY quickly. If somebody was badly injured in Kokaua Town and he was nearby, it was simple for him to open up his chest and FWONK! Bring new life!

The effects would fade with time, but there would ALWAYS be little...things...that would perk people up. Things like just seeing a rainbow after the rain, or a butterfly pass their path. The simplest pleasures of the world were well-appreciated in Kokaua Town.

"I think it's GOOD that she's so chipper." Nick decided. "She'll be super-happy for at least a week and have his lingering niceness remaining in some part of her forever."

"Yeah, good dragons become stars." Heartwing said happily.

"...eh?" Nick blinked.

"It's old dragon lore. If a dragon follows the path of good in his life, he is transformed into a star in the sky." Senkoukura's majestic voice explained. "The most holy dragons became the constellation Draco and can return to Earth as they please in spiritual form. Bahamut is one of them."

"Your human self's grandpa, eh?" Lilo asked Heartwing.

"For every human born, there must be a bestial and diabolical side created. That's the rule." Nick said. "Good, in between and wrong. But if Heartwing's the good, and that 15th century Chariot is the in-between...who's the bad?" He mused.

"Aw, he's gone." Heartwing explained. "Ya see, **bad** dragons don't turn into stars. God turns them into **TREE FUNGUS!**"

Esmeralda began laughing uncontrollably. She had to steady herself to keep from falling off. Now THAT was a very creative punishment of evil!

"So Hanako's meeting us at the airport with Ranku, right?" Lilo asked. "It'll be nice to see how those two are doing."

"Yes, it shall." Makani admitted, looking up at the clouds. He held up one paw and focused, using his air-pressure-control power. The clouds began to be pressed together, forming one large white dragon. He nodded at this, satisfied. "I have another reason for going. There is a large contest there and I want to show off my fine skills."

"Ooh, is it for creating artwork out of clouds, because you're good at that!" Grey asked.

"No, it is actually a dance contest." Makani told them.

"You can dance?" Nick asked.

Makani raised a non-existent eyebrow and then turned to Esmeralda. "If you could?"

Esmeralda pulled out a small stereo from her jacket and popped what appeared to be a flash drive into it. Makani tapped his foot on Senkoukura's back as it began to play, and then proceeded to bust a move on the spot, shaking his butt, spinning around on his head and doing flashy-looking dance moves that would make any pop star desire to copy them.

"SPRUNG! Wanna pull up front, cuz you noticed that butt was STUFFED!"

"Wa-WOW." Lilo remarked. "So you're SURE he's not 183's son?"

"Tag? No." Grey told her, shaking his head. "He hasn't told ANYONE who his dad is, but he doesn't look like Tag one bit."

"Oh BAY-BEE, I wanna get wit'cha, and take your pic-chah! My homeboys try to warn me, but that butt you got makes-me-so-horny!"

"…what the hell." Lilo grinned and got up, joining in. "I'm tired of magazines…sayin' flat butts are the thing!"

…

…

…

…Sari clung to her knees as Miyu withdrew her rapier and sheathed it. "Hmm. Observation: Even WITH your ridiculously-lowered intelligence, you have enough precognitive skill to dodge much of my attacks! That is impressive. But I repeat my earlier statement: all humans can be broken and I do intend to break YOU."

With that and a horrid, silvery laugh, Miyu left Sari alone in the room as she sobbed, covering her eyes. She cried and cried and cried…she was only DIMLY aware of WHY that thing wanted to hurt her, only DIMLY aware that she was in a very bad place, but far, far too aware that nobody she knew was going to help her. She could only see the faces of the Corporation whizzing around whenever she slept her precognitive dreams…

And now one such face emerged, with a body attached. With crimson fur, a dark jacket on his body, scarred eyes looking her over, he finally nodded and then picked her up gently.

"Wh-what?"

"Shhhhh." He whispered. "I'm an inside agent. Dr. Leafgreen was contacted by Frequency many months ago to have me infiltrate the Corporation. I'm known as the Executioner, but I am not here to slay, but to rescue you."

"I don't…don't like red. Don't' like red.'

The Executioner frowned. "I can't HELP being red, you-"

"Don't…don't like the red ones, don't like the red ones."

The Executioner moaned and placed Sari back down on the ground, stomped off and then a shaking of something was heard, followed by SPLOOOOOOSH. He then walked back in, now covered in dark blue paint.

"How's THIS?" He muttered.

"Bluuuuue." She said in awe, poking his nose.

"…right." The Executioner grabbed her and held her in his arms. "If it wasn't for the fact you're a lobotomized human girl, I would have ripped that finger off your hand. Now let's get the f—k outta here!"

…

…

…

…Gavrilo was not doing too well. Kuko and Peleka had finally tracked him down on the outskirts of town. Naturally he'd run for his life. And unfortunately he'd run into his worst nightmare.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no._

He rushed through the sewers, panting heavily. His eyes were bloodshot and wide with pure fear as a pair of pure black eyes chased after him, scaly wings making what OWNED those eyes soar through the pipes beneath the town.

"You cannot hide from me. And you cannot RUN for long either!" Nightwing's silky-smooth voice called out.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no._

Gavrilo knew perfectly well what Nightwing could do to him…WOULD do to him. He was NOT known for mercy. NOT known for compassion. Most experiments called him "HE" for a reason, and it was not simply out of fear, it was because they viewed him more as a THING than as a real person. He didn't have a name, it was just "He". That one. That sick, twisted avenging-

SLASH!

The walls to his right exploded as a pair of claws BARELY missed him. Gavrilo shrieked and ran faster, suddenly grateful for inheriting his father's enhanced speed and durability. Unfortunately for him, Nightwing kept slashing and slashing, making the walls come crumbling down all over.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no._

Still Gavrilo continued to run. He could NOT give up! He had to add the other half to the pipes beneath Kokaua Town or Jack couldn't light up the to-

FWOOOOOSHA!

Gavrilo BARELY ducked in time to avoid a surging purple/black energy that was spiked at the front, with little comet trails behind it…a dark energy blast launched from 561's open palm. "Knock the target down and win a prize!" Nightwing called out. "But you know, carnival games are always so cheap. You can rarely win. Unfortunately, this time, I AM going to win."

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no._

Gavrilo picked up the pace, panting, sweating up a storm. He was practically crying as he tore down the hallway, but he seemed to be being rewarded, for the dark dragon was falling behind. Gavrilo turned around for a moment, in the urge to gloat, but he decided against saying anything and just turned back to face the-

THRUCKA!

Wall that he rudely and nose-crunchingly collided with. He hit the ground, moaning as he tried to get up, only to see that Nightwing was floating in midair right underneath a sewer grate he was opening up. He then grinned.

"Goodbye." He told Gavrilo.

"Don't kill me…" Gavrilo squeaked out.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no._

"Oh my dear, dear boy…I'M not going to hurt you. At least…not directly. But I do know that you can't swim…"

He motioned behind him and Gavrilo realized WHY Nightwing had been slashing at the wall. The sewers were being opened, the filthy water from the other sections flooding together into the hallway THEY'D been in. A rushing, brownish, green/blue torrent of water was roaring towards them…

Or rather, towards GAVRILO. Nightwing waved calmly and hovered up through the sewer grate, closing it. Gavrilo desperately raced up to it, climbing a ladder and trying to push it open as the water rose higher and higher…  
_Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no no no no NO NO NOOOOOO…_

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Gavrilo screeched out, a scream that was quickly silenced by filthy water that flooded his lungs as Nightwing calmly laid down on his side, one arm propping up his head, which lay atop the sewer grate as he listened to the satisfying sound of Gavrilo floundering about…which was followed by a blissful, even **MORE** satisfying silence.

"Ahhhhhhh." Nightwing let out a long sigh as he stood up. "Music to my ears." It pleased him to know that he knew how to make justice draconian in more ways than one.

"Well?" Kuko asked, chewing away on a squirrel he'd caught as Peleka filed her nails.

"That "piece of shit" met with a fitting end. A VERY fitting end." Nightwing told them calmly. "Now who wants Chinese?" He asked eagerly.

…

…

…

…Yuna and Echo were...upset.

Their teacher was gone. Joined the dark side! This was bad. Very bad!

And it just...just didn't equate with them.

Yuna paced back and forth, frowning as Echo sat on Yuna's bed. Yuna was used to her parents being away on long missions across the Universe, spreading messages of love. She was therefore very good at taking care of herself and cleaning up her room was no exception: everything was so clean you could lick the very walls themselves and taste lemony fresh goodness.

It just wasn't right. King wasn't evil. He WASN'T. This was the same person who had not just simply taught the children of Kokaua Town magic, who took coal lumps, crushed them and burnt them in his hands and made diamonds as gifts and made the greatest green tea you'd ever tasted, this was their good-natured private tutor who would give them lessons on the greatest mysteries of the universe.

And now...he was evil? There had to be a different reason for joining up besides wanting to be with White, his friend...

"What do we know about the Corporation anyhow?" Echo wondered.

Yuna frowned and folded her arms. "Not that much...but..."

Her eyes widened. That's what they should do...find out where it came from!

Quickly Yuna ran to the computer and began to type into it quickly on the keyboard, booting up the Internet...

…

…

...

..."This…is…disgusting." Joshua muttered as he looked at the toilets at the airport in Tokyo. Over every single urinal in the male rooms were naked anime girls painted in VERY great detail with…er…their private areas being the…urinals. "Japanese people are **SICKSICKSICKSIIIIIICK!**" He moaned, tugging at his thick blond hair.

"More importantly, which one will you choose?" A green-skinned being announced, standing underneath Trish from the "Devil May Cry" anime. It was an Irken with goggles on top of it's head, a tall and strong-looking one. Joshua felt disgusted being just NEAR him. He decided to use a STALL instead and hoped that something fouler than what he'd seen just a few minutes ago wouldn't appear. He nervously opened up the stall and then breathed a sigh of relief. Phew. Just a shiny toilet.

Makani choose the urinal that had Sakura from Naruto, finding it the least offensive. He said absolutely nothing and prayed that-

"Nice day out, is it not? What brings you to Japan?"

Why oh WHY did people have to talk to each other on the URINALS? What was this, a coffee shop?

"We are visiting dear friends of the family." Makani muttered, folding his arms and waiting for his business maker to come out as Grey entered the bathroom and tugged down his pants.

"WOAH!" The Irken gaped. "The only thing protecting the world from your _plikembo_ is a pair of tye dye pants? You're not even wearing UNDERWEAR?" He asked.

"Yeah, uh, underwear gives me crotch itch." Grey said as he approached a urinal, rolling his eyes. Joshua blinked.

Wait...tie-dye? GREY?

"You Earthlings are **DISGUSTING.**"

"Says the guy who eagerly chose the "Trish" urinal." Said a rather whiny voice from a bathroom stall. "Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The Irken muttered angrily and left the bathroom as the person kept laughing. He waited outside by the water fountain, muttering to himself.

"Grey, is that you?" Joshua asked from the stall.

"...JOSHUA?" Grey called out. "How are you? How's Naomi?"

"Oh dear LORD. What is this, a coffee shop?" The whiny voice mumbled before there was a large SPLASH noise.

TEN SECONDS LATER...

Makani stepped outside and nervously spoke up to the Irken in the goggles.

"Sir? It's about your…friend."

"My friend?" The Irken inquired.

"Your…rodent friend."

"What about him?"

"Well, the toilets here operate on a vacuum flush system…and _he's losing his grip._" Makani finished.

"THERE HE GOES!" Joshua yelled.

**"HELP MEEEEE!"**"

The Irken began laughing so hard his goggles fell off and his knees buckled as a squelchy yanking noise was heard along with lots more laughter from Grey inside the bathroom as he watched his friend try to tug the Muridaean out of the toilet.

At last there was a POP and a THUNKA-THUD and more laughter. Soon the soaking Muridean walked out of the bathroom, tail dripping toilet water onto the ground.

"I'm…drying…myself off…inside." He muttered hatefully, heading back inside to see if he could reach the paper towels as Joshua headed OUTSIDE the bathroom with Grey, finshing up their conversation.

"Say, that Muridean looked a LOT like Mr. Rupert, don'tcha think?" Joshua asked.

Makani frowned slightly. "...yes...he DID..."

"Smelled a little like him too." Grey admitted, shrugging. "But Murideans are rodents, a LOT of them look alike. Rupert might not have any direct family left, but to have like a third cousin twice removed who looks just like him is…"

He frowned. "Hey now hold on, even by their standards, that's just not-"

SCWHOOP!

A jelly-like substance surrounded them all and they found themselves shrunk. A furry white paw picked the jelly cube they were now in up and smirked down at them.

"Worry not, you won't drown, it's oxygenated. Unfortunately though, and I know THIS will bother you more than the threat of death…your beloved mother and your dear, dear friend is our real target." He told Grey and Joshua respectively.

The Muridean then tossed the cube into the bathroom behind him and he and the Irken headed for the ladies room, sneaking in before anyone could notice. Lilo, sadly, was caught off guard…and before anyone could notice them, they were outside of the bathroom, pocketing another jelly cube…

This time one with LILO inside.

Heartwing, meanwhile, waved farewell to the large crowd of Japanese people who had greeted him, Esmeralda and Senkoukura. Heartwing's little son Chibi had his own toy line here in Japan…he was VERY popular…quite probably because he was of dragon blood.

"I just love how much they love dragons here." Esmeralda admitted. "And I got a cupcake!" She added cheerfully, holding up a chocolate-coated cupcake.

"I'm going to share my cake with Lilo." Senkoukura decided. "Lilo, where…"

They were gone. Heartwing looked down at the men's bathroom the guys had been, then at the area in front of it they had sworn to meet at. Nobody was there. Checking inside the bathroom, Heartwing DID find Joshua, Grey and Makani, but when he asked about Lilo…

"She's GONE? STOLEN!" He gasped.

"Couldja get us outta here?" Grey remarked, banging on the walls of the jelly cube. "This is humiliating and-wait…this is JELLY…"

He promptly began to SUCK. SCWHOOOOORP! Soon all of the jelly was gone and he, his dad and Makani were deposited on the floor, returned to normal size…save for Grey, who's stomach bulged slightly for a few seconds before he burped. "Ahh. Lime-flavored."

"Who took them?" Senkoukura inquired.

"A nasty-looking Irken scientist and his Muridean friend." Joshua said. "They can't have gone too far though…there's a big reception at the exit just for US…that will slow them down some!"

"Not enough though…get on my back!" Grey said, getting down on all fours. Joshua climbed on top of his back and Grey tore down the floor, racing towards the exit as Heartwing soared on his wings. Senkoukura, now in his adorable "Chibisuke" form soared off after him as Esmeralda and Makani raced after them on foot.

…

…

…

…Hammy looked left, then right, blinking in surprise as demons and devils and various forces of Hell ran around.

"What? Leo's going NOW? He's five hours early! FIVE FRICKIN' HOURS!"

"Whaddya mean Hyena's not supposed to be down in-just, just get him where he belongs!"

"AAA! I'M ON FIRE!"

"How could she slip through our fingers? We had guards EVERYWHERE!"

"Double the…no, TRIPLE security around the gate to Purgatory! We can't let anybody into it until we sort this out!"

All around were people at huge desks made of bone suspended over a lake of fire. There were situated on the back of a large turtle that swam around happily in the lake, thinking of it as nothing more than a hot bath. Occasionally a very, VERY infuriated sinner would pop up from the Lake of Fire and try and grab ahold of the shell of the turtle, only to slip off and back into the Lake of Fire to continue being tortured.

Frowning angrily, Snizzi paced back and forth as Barubary handed him another report.

"I'm afraid this situation is occurring in almost all Hells, save…for HERS." The Grand Devil informed his boss with a tone of regret.

"That BITCH!" Snizzi hissed, slamming his bladed tail into the report and then cutting it up into pieces. "She's behind this somehow, I'm CERTAIN! I'll gut her! I'll cut her head off and feed her to my mares! And then I'll feed those mares to my GOLDFISH!"

Barubary noticed Hammy was looking them over and he smirked with his fangy mouth. "We have a familiar guest." He spoke up.

Snizzi whirled around, then smiled slightly. "Ah, Dr. Hamsterviel, what DO I owe this…honor? Allow me to guess…you want to go through the road to Purgatory to reach Heaven to get back some souls? To sneak inside the Pearly Gates past Saint Ribera?"

"Yes. You know, I had a pair of goldfish once. They committed suicide."

"...ever think your family line is cursed?" Barubary inquired.

"Yes. Many...many...**many** times." Hammy mumbled.

"I'm guessing…" Snizzi rubbed his chin with his orange-gloved hand. "You want to free your dearly departed dead?"

"Indeed."

"Well we're in a bit of a CRISIS here, rat!" The Emperor snarled, clenching his fist. "The balance of the whole FREAKIN' universe has been upset somehow! Up is down, left is right and short is long!"

Only he did not say "Freaking".

"What happened exactly?" Hamsterviel inquired.

"What…HAPPENED…was that the timeline was altered somehow. And then altered again and again! It cannot TAKE anymore! Reality is busting at the SEAMS!"

"It's not the ONLY thing." The different-reality 627 named Hyena remarked, walking by a succubus who gave him a snarl as he waved goodbye and vanished in a pillar of light.

"PLUS people keep getting raptured back to Earth! Somehow our information on sinners has been so muddled…" Snizzi growled hatefully, eyes glowing. "We had everything sorted out, but with this jumping of the timeline, all our paperwork's freaked up!"

Once more, he did not actually say "freaking". Hamsterviel shrugged. "Ah, well, good luck with all of this!"

"YOOOOOUUUU…GRRR!" Snizzi growled. "I ought to-"

"I have to get Sandy and Grendella's parents back. Their son and their daughter are going to have a child soon." Hamsterviel said stonily. "They trust me with this."

Snizzi folded his arms, then turned his head and looked away. "Tell the guards "In the Name of God, open this door." They'll listen to you." He instructed him. "That's the new password."

Hamsterviel nodded in a respectful manner and quickly rushed off, headed for the gate that led to Purgatory. There were burly, armored guards with porky horns, stubby fingers and biiiiig nostrils. One of them had a bogey stuck just on the outside, actually. Hammy resisted the urge to tell him to wipe it, knowing that the demon guard would gladly do so…and wipe it on HIM!

**"In the name of ****God****, open this door."** Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel demanded, eyes narrowing.

The guards looked at each other, then sighed and pulled the golden double doors of purgatory open as the inscribed images on the front changed not to a blank slate but to a picture of the one about to enter it. Hammy stepped inside the gate and began to walk…

…

…

…

…Lilo banged against the walls of the jello cube she was in as Jacques and Zoburg continued to move through the airport, pushing past as many Japanese people as they could. Unfortunately for them, Hanako saw them approach…

And MOST unfortunately, she mistook Jacques for a person she knew quite well.

"Rupert!" Hanako laughed, holding out her hands. She had a fine figure and a cultured face with black hair that was hanging down to her shoulders. She had dark brown eyes and was wearing a distinguished Kimono of dark red and white and she strode forward, smiling. Next to her was a white-scaled, serpentine experiment with large wings that had thick bony limbs and a red membrane "flap" that looked delicate. He had a red gem in the center of his forehead, a humanoid chest and arms, and a loooong tail. He looked oddly majestic, but…also creepy. This was Ranku, her brother. He didn't get the good looks from his mother that Hanako had gotten. He took more after his daddy, the experiment Sneak.

"So what brings thee here? Did you decide to come along and sssssurprise us?" Ranku inquired, looking amusingly at the Muridean.

Jacques had to think quickly. "Oh, yes, after all, we are all family, aren't we?"

"Hamsterviel-san, your voice sounds…funny." Hanako said, scratching her head and looking him over.

"I'm sorrily sorry, I have a cold." He apologized.

"Yes, but we've much to discuss. Do you think we could leave this stuffy airport and go someplace quieter to talk?" Zoburg inquired.

"Uh, who is your friend, Hamsterviel-san?" Hanako asked.

"Ah this is-"

"KIDNAPPERS!" Grey roared.

The others turned their heads to see Grey and the others bolting towards Jacques and Zoburg. "They've got my mother! Get them! Get-"

"Aw, f—k it!" Zoburg snarled, whipping out a small ball. He tossed one of them at Hanako and Ranku and the other assembled people before them in the welcoming committee and a net trapped them against the wall. Then he tossed another ball at Grey, Joshua, Ezzie, Heartwing and Senkoukura…

And it was BEEPING.

"AH! DOWN!" Grey yelled, dropping Joshua off and jumping forward, mouth open.

GLOMP!

He landed on his hands and blinked a few times. Then…

THA-BOOOOM!

His head popped off, then hit the floor. His body picked the head back up as it frowned at Zoburg. "You're lucky my friends are alright or that woulda been messy!"

"Wow, that must have been some seriously high-quality explosive. Were you really about to just blow up the entire airport?" Joshua asked, blinking in surprise.

"Except for us…yes, I was willing." Zoburg said, as glowing shields surrounded him and Jacques and the captured, shrunken Lilo. "You'd think that would have KILLED that mutt. Obviously he's just as durable as I heard!"

"Good thing I had a backup plan!" Jacques laughed. "I've set up mines all around the airport. They'll explode in…" He checked the clock on the wall. "Ten minutes. If you HURRY you MIGHT be able to evacuate everyone out of the airport in time!"

"What?" Lilo yelled.

"Ta-ta!" Jacques laughed as he and Zoburg raced out of the front doors, leaping into a Corporation van that was parked outside and racing off.

Joshua clenched his fist. "Those dirty, two-timing sewer spores!"

Jacques calmly held up a vial to the jelly cube and poured some blue, fizzy liquid over it. The jelly dissolved and Lilo was returned to normal size…though he quickly put a pair of handcuffs over her and strapped her in tight with seatbelts as Zoburg drove.

"But there are hundreds of people in the airport!" Lilo insisted tearfully.

"Girl, that was a stretching of the truth. Did you actually BUY it?" He asked. "I've no doubt your stupid son did, but I expected more from-"

"You LIED?" She asked. "Well I guess that makes sense."

"Yes, me and my brother picked the skill up from our parents. We're phenomenally good at it." Jacques bragged.

"You know, I'm disappointed in you, Jacques." Lilo said, frowning at him, eyelids partially closed.

Jacques frowned. When he had died suddenly and had been floating around, with no place in Heaven or Hell yet set up for him, he had been about to give into despair but had held on just to see his brother make something of himself. He'd been surprised to see that that "someone of himself" had been HIMSELF when his brother had taken HIS identity.

He'd gotten VERY depressed when the Heavenly Host had decided he was going to go to Hell...until Lilo's spirit had advocated for mercy. So, he'd been allowed to watch over his brother from above...and had eventually returned to the land of the living. He'd wished his brother well after the utter routing of the tainted Galactic Federation on "that fateful day" and had left Hawaii to, as he'd said, "find his own true place".

"So with the BAD GUYS is your one true place, huh?"

"Actually, I work alongside them for...personal reasons." Jacques said. "Involving Jumba..."

"Will you stop talking to the hostage? I've now got to concentrate on driving to our base and THEN I have to work on thinking up a way to get back at the Hierophant."

"Why are you so angry at Darth?" Lilo asked.

Zoburg took off one glove. She gasped in horror…the skin was utterly…there WAS none. Save for several flaps. There was just…bone. Thick bones that gleamed white in the light of the car with some splotchy patches all over of black. Acid had burnt away the hand.

"The other one is just as bad." He informed her. "He did this to me for attempting to assassinate Miyuki. I woulda gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling defective!"

"Put it back ON. That is DISGUSTING." Jacques remarked.

"Prudish little rodent." Zoburg thought at Jacques. This was why he **didn't** like working with him. When it came to actually getting his hands dirty in things that were messy like, say, murder, the rat quickly balked or sent somebody else to do it FOR him.

"Pompous, arrogant flea." Jacques thought at Zoburg. That horrid man always assumed that simply because another race wasn't IRKEN, it was stupid and not worth toe jam. This included his own race, the Murideans. Jacques was secretly plotting on accidentally wiring the microwave in their HQ to blow up in Zoburg's face the next time he made himself a burrito...

It didn't take them long to REACH the Corporation's HQ. But to get there, they had to go past a specific checkpoint.

"Hi." Zoburg remarked. "I'd like a Happy Meal. Extra happy." He told the woman at the Drive-In.

"Wow, the villains have a sense of humor now?" Lilo wondered as the car was driven around...and then a ramp lowered them into a secret underground track. Lilo looked out to see they were passing over an enormous underground warehouse filled with various boxes stacked to the ceiling. There were people who had large needles jammed into their bodies all around moving the boxes with several dozen others moving heavy machinery around that appeared as...weapons of war. Obviously potent ones, since they had ENORMOUS cannons.

"Oh, I designed those MYSELF." Jacques bragged. "They're designed to fire a high-pressure blast of plasma energy contained within a missile. There's a catalystic trigger at the top, when it reaches the target, the catalyst is activated and it does not simply explode so much as rip open a small portal in space and time, rending the thing asunder...erasing it." He grinned. "_Void_ is such a fascinating scientific tool!"

"_VOID?_ You're using THAT?" Lilo screamed. "But...but that's the complete opposite of Existence, it's NULL, it spits in the face of everything natural!"

"Why do you think we are using it, you oh-so-adorable Hawaiian girl?" Jacques laughed. "Unfortunately we have...run out of our supplies of it. That is where YOU come in. Zoburg has a plan...the details he has yet to DIVULGE to me..." Jacques added angrily. "Which shall use YOUR power just as effectively as _Void_ does for our weapons."

"And what are you going to DO with those weapons?"

"...you might wish to be sitting with a friend you know for THAT part." Jacques admitted quietly.

…

…

…

… "She's gone...she's GONE! Darn it!" Joshua yelled. "DANG IT, they got away!"

"Not for long." Hanako told them with resolve sparkling in her eyes. "The Corporation has been a thorn in the World's side for 50 years...but they aren't going to take Japan!"

"Where did they even COME from? How can they just...do THAT!" Makani wanted to know.

"All of the highest members of the Corporation are those with great power, some who reign over spiritual realms, others who are scientists with patents on devices that have made them insanely rich, and a few who are simply brutally strong..." Ranku said. "Our inside man, a man of Dr. Leafgreen's, has told us that they were founded by Samael to help him eventually rule of the world and subvert it to his power."

"But not if _I_ have anything to say about it!" Hanako snapped as she whipped out a cell phone and began to call. "Hello, Hunter HQ? Yes, I need you to send somebody out to intercept a Corporation Van that was headed north from the airport on 44. Yes, my usual man."

"Wait...are you going to send who I think you are going to send? That super-prude?" Grey moaned, covering his head. "He's probably too busy praying right now to save my mom!"

MEANWHILE!

"Blessed are the poor, for they are rich in spirit. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called-"

KNOCK-KNOCK!

Azazel frowned slightly. "I'VE GOT A BIG SIGN THAT SAYS "DO NOT DISTURB" OUT THERE FOR A FRIGGIN' **REASON** YOU PHILISTINES!"

"Sir, it's the girl." A human with needles sticking into his head like some kind of reverse "Hellraiser" remarked. "She's-"

**"Tongue of dog, newt so greeny, turn this dude into ZUCCHINI!"** King announced, quickly making a few strange hand signs.

POOF! The man was turned into a zucchini with a pair of eyes. "What the hell!" He yelled. "What is this?"

"Lunch. And I happen to be in the mood for something good and GREEN." King said evilly.

"YAAAAHHH!" The zucchini dude hopped out of the room as fast as he could as King laughed.

"Thank you for that. He'll spread the word and fewer people will disturb me." Azazel said. "I HATE it when they interrupt my prayer hour...and also, thank you for joining me in prayer!" The Beautiful Angel added, shaking King's three-digited, clawed hand.

"Well, I AM gnostic, but I can appreciate a heartfelt recitation of the Beatitudes. Also, look at it this way, now you don't have to waste ammunition."

"Yes, shooting people who keep interrupting me might be slightly fun, but it's morbid." Azazel admitted. "Also, Zoburg's started doing it to people who go into his lab during "private time". He just goes inside the lab with a blow up doll of Tallest Miyuki and..." Azazel shudders.

King stuck his tongue out. Since it was long and forked, this was a considerable display of disgust. "That man is a cockroach with a soul of dog shit."

"This COCKROACH has good hearing." Zoburg said, entering the room with Lilo and Jacques.

"Ah, dear Lilo! Welcome to our humble abode. Our facilities are excellent, you couldn't ask for more." Azazel explained.

"As long as you avoid those bathrooms on the second floor!" A voice spoke up. It sounded like somebody had taken a slightly thick voice and ground it through a blender. Turning around, Lilo saw an experiment that looked like everything was one very, very big joke judging by the utterly insane glint in his eyes and a smile like a shark's.

"Excuse Mehjen, he had a pipe shoot through his head. He's been insane for the past 80 years." Jacques apologized as Mehjen began to feel Lilo's hair.

"He needs help." Lilo said, pulling away just before he could yank it off and clutching it to her chest.

"He's been getting it from me, it's not working, and believe me, I AM trying." King told her. "He's one of Dr. Leafgreen's prized experiments. You should have seen him in his heyday!" A deep sigh. "Such a waste..."

"Dr. Leafgreen? Wasn't Grey going out with one of them for 3 years before-"

Lilo stopped herself. Yes, he had. Grey'd fallen hard for "Ewa Lani", a very, VERY lovely experimental creation of Dr. Leafgreen. The heavenly woman was charming, very, very cute, had the sweetest voice and, according to all sources, "She sure can kiss, can't she"?

He'd ended up breaking up with her though, apparently because he had discovered she was a lesbian. He'd told everyone he discovered this fact by trying to surprise her by climbing through her window only to see her tongue-banging with another female. Not wanting her to live a lie and hurt that she hadn't told the truth…mostly just hurt…VERY hurt…he'd broken up with Ewa Lani.

Yes…she knew Dr. Leafgreen's experiments. Not just Ewa Lani either. She racked her brain, trying to think of what the various ones were famous for, and she soon reached Mehjen, remembering…

He was a mass murderer. He liked to target HUMANS…killing them with pickaxes and other mining tools. And she was IN THE SAME ROOM AS HIM…

"My family is going to come rescue me." Lilo said calmly. "You know that, don't you?"

"Oh you can COUNT on. WE are!" Mehjen said before dissolving away into sadistic giggling.

With that…Lilo feared for her life. But Azazel put his hand on her shoulder and she was calmed instantly by his firm grip. "Worry not. I will not let him harm thee." He insisted kindly. "My family insisted I be kind, friendly and understanding towards others, especially those who are at my mercy…though Mehjen doesn't find that nearly as irritating as the "other thing"."

"What's the "other thing"?" Lilo asked.

"…fire at will." Mehjen and Zoburg and Jacques all moaned.

"At age 24 I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior and lover of my soul. Hosanna-in-the-high-est." Azazel sang out.

**SFX: Cricket's chirping**

For some reason…that worried Lilo more than the freaky human-slaughtering miner in the room..

…

…

…

...the yellow-furred fox-like experiment panted heavily, irate at being forced to leave behind his collection of stolen Japanese artifacts...and frightened out of his little mind at who...or perhaps WHAT would be a better word...was coming after him down the road. Yes, true, the fox was fast, but...

VA-ROOOOOM!

The hover cycle that Staccato, Justice of the Major Arcana rode on, was faster. And it had just burst clear out the window of the building the fox had been holing up in.

Horrified, he rushed faster and faster down the road by the cliffside as the salty air stung his lungs and the roar of the hover cycle became louder and louder until, a few moments later, the emerald-armored bioroid was looking over at the fox through the mask over his eyes, twinkling silver and slightly cold.

"You're completely crazy!" The fox screamed at him.

"**And you're resisting arrest.**" Staccato snapped, promptly holding himself up on his arms and kicking out with both feet.

THWOOMP!

"_uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh..._" The fox wailed all the way down as he finally hit the sea below the cliffs and Staccato flopped back onto his seat, swerving his cycle to a halt and stepping off. Young, old, human, experiment or anything else, it didn't matter. The Hammer of Justice was universal.

BRIIIIING!

Staccato looked down at his left buster arm and opened up the top, checking the communicator. "OH! Yes! Oh, absolutely! I'm coming right over!"

…

…

…

...Eclipse nodded. "Alright, of course. Yes, Ezz. I understand. Don't worry, I'll come over." He insisted.  
Esmeralda was missing him terribly. She wanted to see him, he wanted to see her. Looking his smooth and well-built form over in the mirror, he put his clawed hands on his hips and grinned wildly, showing off pearly white teeth.

Eclipse felt very proud of who he'd become…he, grandson of the Dark Dragon himself, with his mother the famous and well-known do-gooder Haley Long, and his father the powerful vigilante Nightwing. An experiment with Human and dragon blood running through his veins and a well-lived life. He'd gotten off the path of evil far more quickly than his dad, had found love faster than his dad had, had even gotten to be well-liked faster than his dad. He was very proud of all he'd done.

But he was NOT going to be proud of what was about to happen.

A voice. A seductively crooning call like some divine bird that wanted you to come hither...pet me...hold me...

He turned around. His eyes went wide.

_Love me..._

An Irken. Tall. Reindeer-esque antennae...beautiful pink eyes gazing deeply into his with a light green skin...and nothing but a long white t-shirt that covered her chest and went down just over her private areas.

He struggled to speak, but...the scent in the room was overpowering his senses. Strawberries filled his nostrils...

"No, stop!" He demanded, pushing her back. He was not going to be beaten by some stupid chemical this...

Suddenly he was aware of a needle sticking in his arm. He had time to think "Oh, THAT'S what's wrong" before completely falling into a stupor.

"Now are you going to do everything I say?" The Irken asked. "Everything your dear, sweet Sue asks you to?"

"Yeth mithtwess..." He mumbled out. "Abthowutewy..."


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

_I have good news...and bad news._

_The good news was that on all fronts, we were slowly but surely making progress in finding out what the heck these guys WERE and how we could take them DOWN._

_The bad news: they had stolen Nick's wife. They had a lot more help than we thought originally. And they were a lot more skilled than we had thought they were._

_And now...here is some WORSE news._

_My poor, stupid students were now trying to break INTO the Corporation's established base in Tokyo by enlisting a certain someone's help..._

Michael White waved goodbye to the girls as he dropped them off at the corner, his wallet now visibly bulging more thickly. "Good luck." He said. "This is a bad part of town."

"We paid you to drop us right outside of their HQ!" Yuna complained, putting her hand on her hips.

"True, but this way is more FUN!" White laughed, vanishing with a small cloud of dust, taking off the same way the Road Runner escaped Wile E. Coyote.

Echo yelled after him. "BEETAAAAAARRRRRRD!" She snarled, a visibly circular shockwave emerging from her mouth and knocking a bus clear through the air. She clamped her paws over her mouth as cries of "My leg" moaned out over the air as she and Yuna took off running, not interested in being dragged to the police station.

"So if he wouldn't drop us right outside their HQ, how are we going to know what it LOOKS like!" Echo wondered.

"Well, we have to think about who's IN the Corporation and what their vehicles look like." Yuna reasoned. "Keep in mind they-"

A Corporation Van with Leroy Mākaia driving it along with his son Jay passed by behind Yuna. They turned, gaped, then quickly dove into the nearby bushes just in time as Leroy looked back into the mirror, wondering if he had really just...

Naw, he couldn't have. Shrugging, Leroy ran the red light, eliciting a laugh from his son, and Yuna and Echo popped their heads out, seeing the car rush off. Quickly Yuna took out a small sling from her pocket and twirled it over her head, then...

THWOOSH!

CLINK!

A small tracker was stuck to the van. Leroy just ignored the sound, figuring it was probably minor. Looking down at a PDA-esque device, Yuna and Echo watched the van make a right turn on the street it had been on, then continue going down the street before making a left turn and...vanishing...near a McDonalds.

"It must be underground." Echo reasoned.

"Well...we've no time to waste, then!" Yuna said simply.

They took off running, unaware that a certain other person was there, eyes glowing, a horrid expression of dark hunger in her eyes as they glowed with a dead light. She slowly but surely began to follow the other two children...

…

…

…

… "A singularity! It is a SINGULARITY!" Jacques insisted to King.

"So it contained not just simply all matter, but also space, time, and energy? All that would become the Universe?" King remarked, sipping from his tea cup as Jacques sat across from him. He and the hamster were looking after Lilo in her cell.

"Yes!" Jumba added. He was in the same cell as Lilo. He'd been nabbed just earlier that morning. "It was a singularity." He was taking Jacques's side, something that did not happen often.

"Okay, but if energy did not yet exist, how did the singularity explode? And if there was nowhere before all of that, WHERE was the singularity the instant before it exploded? Doesn't the idea of creating space in nothingness sound like damned nonsense?" King reasoned.

"Well, the singularity had collapsed in on itself and then started all over again. It exploded, expanded, then contracted, then exploded all over again...it's continuous." Jumba told the serpentine magus.

"So it happens forever and ever. Doesn't that sound just like something that was "Always existing"?" King reasoned.

"Okay snake, I'll bite the apple you're offering, what's the answer?" Jumba laughed.

King flashed him that wise, knowing smile that had a hint of pride and mockery to it. "Why my dear Jumba, I haven't the slightest clue either!"

Lilo giggled at this. Jacques folded his arms, frowning and muttering, upset that he'd lost this little debate.

"Really, so many theories attempting to explain how the world was made make as little sense as-"

"Giant snakes rising from the sea to mate with mongoose dogs?" Lilo offered.

King shuddered. "Child, that visual image is DISGUSTING."

"Oh, right, sorry." Lilo apologized. She'd forgotten he hated and feared mongooses. She put one hand over her mouth, blushing as King brushed some of his light blue hair back and then turned back to Jacques.

"So tell me more about these Minor Arcana." He asked Jacques. "If I'm to work with them, I'd like to know more about them. After all, gnosis is the best way to reach a higher state of being. It liberates the soul."

"_Gnosis_...knowledge?" Lilo asked, remembering earlier lessons King had taught her and Nick when they'd gone to focus their skills.

"Yes."

"Well, fine. But you may not like what you hear." Jacques remarked. "Firstly, there is Miyu. She is, quite simply, a horrid, horrid person who happens to be an excellent warrior. All the same, I wish her many, many worms in her head. Eating up her brain meats. No doubt they taste like rotten eggs. Secondly, there is Frequency. He is stoned out. He is drugged up. He has an annoying accent…"

"Like your French accent?"

"Shut iiiiit!" Jacques snapped. "He's also ridiculously lucky. Then there is Two…he…" Jacques frowned deeply. "He has his mother's eyes and he is…deeply dangerous in a way I'm not sure how to describe. And of course, that annoyingly annoying Azazel. He's humble enough to say he was only the fourth member to enter the Corporation, proud enough to talk about his connection to God, and violent and skilled enough to shish-kebab anybody who interrupts his prayer hour with that obscenely large lance of his. We lose more drugged-up slaves in that regard." Jacques admitted.

"It's HARDLY proper behavior." Jack said, entering the room and making Lilo gasp in fear as Jumba's eyes narrowed, all four of them. Jack stood by a random guard who had let him in and Jack was now handling a gun. "Really, his behavior's barely civilized when it comes to that prayer hour. I'm trying to work on being civilized too." He added.

BANG! He turned around and shot the guard between the eyes and knocking him back through the air. Jacques turned green. Jumba frowned deeply. Lilo screamed.

"See? Now that wasn't civilized. FUN, yeah, but **hardly** civilized!" Jack reasoned.

"State your business and be BRIEF, Jack. I am more than capable of taking care of one little girl and my old partner." Jacques said.

"For all of what, ten years until you bought the farm, right? And your brother took your place!" Jack laughed. "Anyhow, I'm just here to remind you that tonight is Shrimp Cocktail for dinner." He said nonchalantly. With that, he waved cheerily and left.

"Mmm! Shrimp cocktail!" King remarked. Yes, he was a vegetarian, but he DID enjoy seafood quite a lot. "I just love the little dipping sauce you use for it, don't you?"

"...my power's NOT that impressive." Lilo insisted quietly.

"...really?" King laughed. He then performed several hands signs before clapping his hands. POOF! Seven clay doves appeared before Lilo, on the table they were all at. "C'mon. Perform "it"."

Lilo sighed as Jumba and Jacques looked intently at her, especially the Muridean, he was intrigued. He'd never actually seen her do anything like-

"**Live**." She said simply to the clay doves. It was then that they exploded from within and...there, shaking bits of clay off their feathers, were real doves, cooing gently and looking around at the people who now gazed with awe at them. They preened themselves as they hovered around Lilo, obviously aware that she was their "mommy."

"...amaaaaaazing! Amazingly amazing, I am really most sincerely impressed!" Jacques admitted, clapping his hands, his tail whipping up and down.

"A couple of words and you get things to live. Such is _Bios's_ glory!" Jacques said.

"Anyhow, ah, I've got some bad news." King spoke up. "You will not be staying here...we will soon take you to Egypt. There is a place along the Upper Nile where a Corporation HQ is located at the exact same place where the Nag Hammadi were found!" He bragged. Seeing Lilo's confusion, he sighed. "I have GOT to teach you about the Gnostic Gospels..."

"First thing's first. I've got to have some...words with Jumba." Jacques said, waving his paw dismissively. The others all were filed out and he was left alone with Jumba.

"So we are alone...we can talk." Jacques told him.

"Is apparently so."

"Good." Jacques remarked. Then his gaze became hateful and angry.

BOP!

A good punch to the nose knocked Jumba back and onto the floor as Jacques jumped on top of the fat scientist and pointed down at him with a furry digit. **"BECAUSE I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU, YOU LYING ****BASTARD!****"**

"Oh this IS the Era of Irony." Jumba muttered as his former partner and childhood friend's red eyes narrowed intently at him.

…

…

…

… Sandy frowned as he folded his arms. "What's this I hear about Egypt?" He asked.

Myr frowned and crossed his arms. "OSAZE." He insisted.

"Excuse him, he doesn't mean that." Nacht insisted. "I cannot get him to call it anything else."

"No matter."

Sandy was now sitting in his room behind a desk, facing Myr and Nacht as he and Darth stood together. He held his paws together and pursed and unpursed his lips, thinking carefully, then spoke up again. "So he is going to that land. And a contact from within the Corporation called you and said he'd meet us there." Sandy reiterated.

"Calls himself the Executioner." Nacht said. "Said he has Sari with him. He and Pleakley shall eagerly await our arrival. It is a rather...interesting name. Boring though, considering his occupation."

"You know about him, eh? Yeah, he's one of Dr. Leafgreen's."

"Those people are all money-grubbin, backstabbin' whores. Like Ewa Lani!" Myr remarked.

"HEY." Darth exposed his teeth, balled antennae flattening against his head. "Defame not a lady."

"They associate themselves with anybody who's willing to provide the doctor with the most support. They switch allegiances as quickly as they switch moods. They are powerful, yes, and very skilled, but spiritually, I fear for them." Myr said. "They feed the Black Dog the finest of scraps in the name of good."

"They've done great things for the Hawaiian islands. Dr. Leafgreen is a good and trusted friend of Jumba." Sandy defended.

"But he is also bi-"

Nacht kicked Myr. This got him to shut up.

"Why don't we call Joshua back to help us? He was at Japan, it wouldn't take him long to-"

"Actually, Joshua's currently heading to Egypt...or Osaze, depending on how you wish to call it. Apparently...something...came up."

"...what came up?"

"Apparently Naomi had made a deal with the Corporation. Joshua's the one at the forefront of the media, not his wife, so she could operate on the sly. She wanted to bring them out into the open so..." Nacht produced a printout that Sandy looked over.

"Heh. An order for "1000 perforating machines" and a massive pay-off for "Insect Control"." Sandy grinned grimly, seeing the machines were to be delivered by the Corporation to a region of the Upper Nile. He could guess what was REALLY going on.

"Obviously, we have to get there and make sure she knows what she's getting into." He said. "Myr...you and Darth have to get there. Myr, you're spiritually sensitive and Darth, you're a man of God. I wouldn't trust this to anyone else...not where you're going."

"You could say we are being sent into Hell." Myr told Darth, shrugging.

"...in a manner." Darth laughed.

"Darn Naomi...she and Joshua are always taking big risks, this is...GEEZ! Stupid moves are stupid moves" Sandy snapped. "If I met God himself and he was doing something stupid like that, I'd HIT HIM IN THE HEAD!"

"So then...?"

"So you guys are going into Hell." Sandy wisecracked, eyes narrowing a moment later as he slammed his fist into his palm. "And you'll "convince" Naomi that going near the Corporation is hazardous to her health before THEY convince her firsthand!"

"But only another head of state can issue a command against another head of state or a diplomat like she is." Darth said silkily.

"SANDY is King of the Experiments of Hawaii now that…his mom and dad are not here." Grendella spoke up, entering the room and putting her paws on her hips.

"Is this King David going to execute us if we bring Naomi's HEAD back?" Myr wisecracked, thinking back to an old Bible story.

"I don't want you KILLING anyone except Corporation scum." Sandy insisted. "And no hurting Naomi. She just doesn't know how dangerous things are is all. And also, I know that Yuna and Echo are trying to be heroic, Ashton and Daveigh called me up and they asked if their child was staying at MY house at the same time Bellatrix called me up and asked me the same thing…"

"They're DOWN there?" Nacht held his head and shook it. "The endless stupidity of youth…"

…

…

…

…Mehjen was pacing back and forth in front of one person who had was sweating bullets, with Jack standing by him.

"So what's this I hear about you turning Leroy to our side with one of Sammy's private stock…and not telling him to be STEALTHY?" Jack growled.

"I assumed he was going to be stealthy! DAVID'S stealthy and he got the bug in him!"

"Assumed. Bad, bad idea." Jack said dangerously. "Better safe than sorry, and you are going to be QUITE sorry. If not for our other spy, we would have never found out they know where WE are and where King is going! Now we ARE going to kill them, but YOU are going to be punished for screwing up. The only question is HOW…" Jack mockingly asked, tapping his chin with a digit, grinning evilly.

"Ooh, **I** know!" Mehjen whispered evilly.

He pulled out something from the tool belt around his waist…a stick of dynamite on a rather short fuse. He then lit the fuse with a lighter. "Guess what? It's your BIRTHDAY!" He told the frightened-out-of-his-drugged-up-mind lackey.

"Ooh my, "Happy Birthday". That IS sadistic." Jack said, stepping back and putting on a pair of shades.

**KA-SPLOOORK-CHAAUUUHHH!**

The man's muffled screams had been shut up before they could really get started by the stick of dynamite that exploded in his mouth, blowing his head apart into thick chunks, sending a few of the hypodermic needles that had been stuck in his head flying to shatter on the wall. Jack grinned at this. "Poor #5869! Now he'll **never** get AHEAD in the world!"

Mehjen laughed sadistically and left the room, eager to head off to Japan to cut up a very SPECIAL human as Jack followed after, looking over a list that read "To Be Punished" and crossed out a name at the top…

…

…

…

… "AAAARRRGGGHHH!"

White kicked around the luggage as he, Lilo, King, Jacques Azazel and Zoburg all rode on a private plane towards Egypt. "FUCK-FUCK-FUCK!" He snapped. "Where the hell is my "Back Door Sluts 9" video?"

"You…brought a porn video to watch up here on the plane?" Zoburg asked. "…humans are DISGUSTING."

"You don't get it, it's my lucky video, I ALWAYS watch it on my private DVD player before I go on trips to foreign countries. It helps me have good luck with the ladies." White insisted. "And since we will NEED that good luck, considering the character of the woman we are meeting with…"

"Why don't you just watch "Spirited Away"?" Lilo offered, holding up an anime movie about a bathhouse and a young human girl.

"…how is anything by Miyazaki as lucky as BDS9?" White inquired. Jacques was pale…he hadn't spoken at all. Something had occurred earlier that had deeply disturbed him.

"Well, remember when Chihiro was facing down No-Face and he was going to eat her, but she managed to get him to eat the River Spirit's medicine and she outran him even though he was ten times bigger than her? That was a pretty good bout of luck." Lilo said proudly.

"Oh. Right." White frowned, then nodded. "How did I miss that part? Oh, yeah, _I was making a hot, sexy thing take it in the-_"

"Power Rangers HO!" King interrupted, sniggering.

…

…

…

… "This was a stupid idea." Echo whispered to Yuna as the two of them, along with Alex, hid in the luggage compartment of the plane. The two kids had sworn to follow their former teacher to Egypt so as to not just simply persuade him to return, but to rescue Lilo as well. "That creepy Azazel will use some magic and make us strangle ourselves or some-"

"SHHH!" Yuna whispered. "We gotta be quiet. Besides, I don't think the Bible condones killin' kids. Only BAD GUYS do that and he thinks he's a GOOD guy."

"Yes, he thinks verrrry highly of himself. He's humble enough to come after Christ left, clever enough to know all his words and evil enough to pass himself off as being him."

"Yeah, no kidding Mr. Wh-WHIIIITE?" Yuna gasped and jumped back as White…or rather Black, for he had powered up, stood there before the kids and waved.

"How's it hangin'?" He asked them all.

Alex smiled at him. "Fine, other than giving up the one day off I had to watch these two." He said, pointing at Echo and Yuna. "Darn my weakness of hugs!"

Black nodded. "Well, you know, TECHNICALLY you're not supposed to be here. I mean, we have rules in the Corporation."

"It's true." King said sadly as he walked over to them, sighing. "Echo, Yuna…dearest pupils, **WHY** did you come? I…I didn't want you to be involved in this." He intoned, shaking his head. "I feel lower than an adder in the grass with you seeing me like this."

"We've come to turn you to the right side." Yuna insisted.

"Look, this…is something I have to do. There is a gnosis…a knowledge I have yet to uncover and I feel in my heart I must stay with my friend." King insisted. "Alex, YOU understand how important knowledge is, do you not? You seek a kind of knowledge too…the knowledge of how to die peacefully…or perhaps atone for your sins…"

King gave him a sympathetic smile. "Come hither, youngling. I will end your pain if you let me." He cooed in his slightly sibilant voice.

"My death will come in time, King." Alex said gently. "And I am already atoning for my sins. Right now I'm just trying to find my place in this world." He finished as Eve snaked her head out of his coat. The poor thing was suffering from airsickness but was able to steady her gaze to look at King with mixed feelings running through her mind.

"Well, in any case, we can't let you stay." Black said.

...

...

...

...Naomi.

When she got dressed up...she was not beautiful.

She was drop-dead **gorgeous.**

A beautiful coat of fur and shining silver pair of bracelets combined with a glittering necklace…a yin-yang symbol like ivory and ebony emblazoned on her finely-curved chest. A beautifully sculpted form with deep black eyes that had long eyelashes...

Naomi odded politely, speaking with a soft and kindly voice to all of the members of the Corporation and to Lilo.

"Greetings and welcome to Osaze." She said. "Or at least it SHALL be once all the papers are filed" She then grinned and winked at Michael White. "I've heard much of your thieving talents, Mister White."

He knelt down on one knee and kissed her hand tenderly, then withdrew a rose made entirely of diamond from his jacket, much to their awe. "Stolen straight from the finest craftsmen in Par-ee." He told her. "I heard you and your hubby are a fan of diamonds, Naomi."

Naomi nodded and smiled broadly, taking the rose and pressing it to her chest. It felt cool and calming against her breast, and she nodded at her servants, who opened up a large limousine door to let them all inside. A carrier with a small adder was sitting inside. King blinked a few times as he sat next to it, then spoke in a hiss to it. The answer it apparently gave back in another hiss made his golden eyes shoot open.

"WHAT?" King gasped. "You're her…_really!_"

"Oh, that's Mark, my gardener." Naomi said. "He's being punished. A friend of mine turned him into that when I caught him sexing up my housekeeper on our bed. He knocked over two Ming vases and my favorite painting got torn in half when it fell off the wall. He really DOES know better. And so does Shiela."

They all gaped at her, then at the snake.

"Want to take a guess as to what **SHE** got turned into?" Naomi remarked with a snicker, looking her nails over.

"A female dog?" Lilo guessed.

"Ah, we have a WIT. And not just ANY wit." Naomi bowed at Lilo. "Empress of the Major Arcana, it's a pleasure to meet you once again. Though regrettably, it appears as though you are now not simply guest, but also prisoner."

Azazel was about to speak up when he suddenly stiffened and reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone that was playing "You Raise Me Up".

"Hello?" He inquired. "…MIYU!"

His face lit up. "Miyu, how good to hear that, you're…oh, no, really, I know why you're REALLY coming, but it would be good if I could speak with you privately for just…"

He frowned slightly, looking very hurt. Naomi clucked her tongue.

"Miyu, there's no reason to take that tone. I'll…go do it. But we should be civil to each other, ot was not that long ago we were talking about-"

He then blinked…the call had been ended. He sighed. "Getting married…" He finished softly.

He stuffed the cell phone into his pocket angrily and sighed. "I've got…business to deal with." He said sadly. "I cannot stay here. I must now take my leave, and I do so with the greatest regret."

He bowed deeply at them all, brown hair falling down before he clapped his hands together…and was gone in a blink of an eye.

"I heard snippets…apparently he's off to Japan. Hmm. I wonder why." Naomi wondered out loud. "Maybe he'll meet Joshie!"

From the look on Zoburg's face, she was CLEARLY not supposed to have given that information away. Lilo grinned at this inwardly. Score one for them!

…

…

…

…Lilo would not have been so enthusiastic about celebrating this little victory if she'd known the reason **WHY** Azazel had been called back to Japan.

Slinking in the shadows and climbing up to a rooftop to hide behind a billboard, he watched as Heartwing clasped Staccato's hand tightly and nodded happily, beaming at the bioroid. They were speaking about Staccato's plan to bust down the Japanese HQ of the Corporation, which apparently involved the destruction of a weapons and Hypercortisone X-production facility that The Justice had uncovered.

But now Heartwing insisted they all go out for ice cream to celebrate, and THAT was what made Azazel put the lance he had in his hand away, amber/gold eyes widening in surprise, then narrowing slightly, lips pursing in confusion.

This was a dragon. It did not matter the origin, a dragon was easily recognizable by shape of body and soul. And dragons went bad. They **ALWAYS** went bad, that was what Azazel believed. Scripture itself taught that Satan was "The Dragon", that "Old Serpent" and other legends stated that they were the children of Nephilem who had given into their bestial urges for the sake of mating with humans to produce offspring.

…and yet…

Seeing that little green dragon eagerly hug the ice cream vendor for giving him an extra scoop of Peppermint Stick was…unnerving. Very unsettling. He was too much like a child…

"No. I can't think that way. Even if he is innocent NOW, he will turn soon enough." Azazel said softly, shaking his head. "I regret having to end his life now while he has some fraction of good within him that stems from the inherent innocence of youth, but I can take comfort in the knowledge that in death, he, unlike so many of his kind, will go to a better place…"

Still…even those words didn't allay his doubts. Therefore, he clasped his hands together…praying.

"Show me the way." He whispered.

_Resist the Devil. He will flee._ Was the reply.

That was an answer he could live with. Azazel gripped his lance tightly. His wings unfolded. It was hunting season.

First thing's first though…to separate the dragon from the others, the truly innocent. He held the lance up and concentrated. He knew a summoned being that would draw the dragon away.

"I Invoke Thee…" He whispered.

EARLIER IN THE DAY…NOT TOO LONG AFTER JACQUES'S OUTBURST

"Originally, I was living large." Jacques told Jumba, eyes narrowed, paw clenched into a fist as he held it in front of Jumba. "I had found quite a lovely life for myself in Bavaria! I ate chocolate for breakfast every morning and had a nice, cushy job as a surgeon. I was in early retirement and life was very, very good." He went on. "I was gaining my fortune quickly. I was going to wait until I was a billionaire to contact my brother again. But THEN somebody ELSE contacted me…a young, brilliant mind named Jack who just HAPPENED to send me a data file he'd uploaded from private psycho-analytical files!"

Jumba bit his lip. His two larger eyes looked down as the other two gazed at the shaking-with-barely-repressed-fury space rodent before him.

"And wouldn't you know it? I was reading up on an experiment who took the name Arnold…experiment 422, DOUBLECROSS. A TATTLETALE I remembered watching from up above when I was looking after my brother…somebody who had a bad habit of telling horrible lies and fooling other people, and who liked telling on others when they'd done bad things. A certain experiment who betrayed everyone he talked to out of compulsion and who **SOLD YOU DOWN THE RIVER**…and who you KNEW sold you down the river for the past ten years!"

Jumba Jookiba nervously blushed. "Er…well…ah…"

"You had thought my brother, my poor deluded brother, had finked you out. And HE thought he'd done it too! I reached out with my mind to my twin and I discovered that he had convinced himself of his own guilt just like he convinced himself he…"

POKE! A poke to Jumba's fat face.

"Was…"

POKE!

"ME!"

POKE!

"But you KNEW the truth. You found it out ten years ago. And you didn't tell Rupert! You let him keep thinking he'd sold you out! How DARE YOU!" Jacques yelled, punching Jumba in the nose, making it VERY sore.

"Are not understanding!" Jumba insisted. "Was not READY to tell him. He was not ready for information! And poor compulsive Arnold died only 2 years ago, I was waiting for a good time to tell him that would not be disrespectful towards-"

"You know Jumba, I may not have always AGREED with you…" Jacques whispered, getting in close to Jumba. "But I did always have real respect for you deep down. I trusted you greatly, even if you didn't trust me, and my brother idolized what you did…idolized you and wanted to BE like you-"

"He wanted to be like YOU, Jacques." Jumba said softly. "Because you were the favorite. You were successful and rich and all he could do was make designs on paper, play violin and balance self on tail for ten minutes straight. He was very, very creative. But he was not hands-on evil genius. YOU were his idol. He chose to take YOUR life. Not mine."

Jacques quivered furiously. But…Jumba was right. Perhaps it had been their sister's early death that had made Rupert desperately seek for SOME role model to look up to…ANYONE. First it had been his parents, but it hadn't been long before he'd realized that good role models don't feed their gardeners into wood chippers for doing the roses wrong. And then it had been his Uncle Charles, who had gotten his head cut off for defying the Galactic Federation. And then it had been his own brother, who had tragically died while trying to pull one over on a fellow E.G.O member.

But still…

"That doesn't excuse you not telling him." Jacques growled to Jumba.

"…am sorry then." Jumba said, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "Neither you nor your brother were originally bad partners. We were once very good friends. There is chance we could be so again."

Jacques shook his head and let go of Jumba. "It's too late." He muttered, folding his arms, the red cape billowing behind him. "I'm sorrily sorry for that."

"Don't stick with Corporation. They haven't even told you specifics for using Lilo's power. Nor why they have not used Azazel's mastery of magical power instead…"

Jacques stiffened, tail shooting up as thoughts whizzed through his head…unsettling, disturbing doubts.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Azazel had mastery of not just simply black magics, but white magics as well. He knew alchemy and summoning, monster techniques and time control, he could summon lightning as easily as kiss a wound and make it heal…and he could use _zoe, bios, void_…

Why DID they need Lilo if they had him? The Rugged Strength of God?

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

"You're right." Jacques said, turning around. "I should ask them-"

He gasped in horror at the sight of Jumba, who was now gagged as Jack held a knife up…bloodied…with Jumba's blood dripping out from his neck.

"Ooh, ooh, sorry, I-I can't hear you. You…you got something on your face…" Jack then broke into a large grin. "Oh yeah…**I PUT IT THERE!**"

Jacques stepped back and watched as Jumba died, the blood dripping down from his neck as Jack kicked the fat alien over and twirled the knife. "THAT is for trying to "turn" one of your own. I suggest you just ignore whatever the "heroes" have to say if you know what's good for your health." Jack warned Jacques before leaving the room after licking the blade clean.

Jacques knelt by Jumba and looked into his eyes as he watched his old friend die. Finally he looked away, unable to stand it anymore, and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him, covering his face and doing all he could to keep the muffled, faint cries for help of Jumba from reaching his long ears.

He was not successful.

…

…

…

…Heartwing licked the ice cream cone in his hands with gusto, eyes shut in contentment as he enjoyed Peppermint Stick. Senkoukura and Esmeralda were speaking with Hanako and Ranku as Makani stood by the doorway of the Chinese restaurant that they'd agreed to discuss attack plans at. They stayed inside of a secret back room that was only accessible to those who entered both a code into a picture of Chinese characters and who passed a retina scan hidden in an image of Confucius which would bark out "Confucius Say…YOU NO PASS" and then fire **LASER BEAMS** at anybody who wasn't cleared.

Staccato was finishing up his point to the "adults", but Heartwing wasn't interested in hearing about who he was going to shoot and with what. He hated fighting. Even fighting for a good reason made him feel sick deep down in his heart…

It was then that he noticed something very…very cute-looking. A greenish/blue creature with a red gem in the center of it's forehead. It looked mammalian in appearance and had dainty feat and a small, reptilian tail. It giggled at Heartwing and bounced around him like a dog walked around it's owner, eager for a ball to be thrown.

"Ooooooh." Heartwing's eyes went wide as he crouched down and allowed the thing to lick his cone. It then swallowed the whole thing in a single bite, licked the dragon's face, then giggled and bounded off out a nearby window.

"Wait!" Heartwing called out, rushing out the window and through an alleyway. "Wait up, please, you cool thing! What are you?"

"Hee-hee-hee!"

The thing giggled and kept running. Soon Heartwing was getting further and further away from his friends and family, and unbeknownst to him…he was about to make a turn right into a dead end…or rather, he found himself in an empty cul-de-sac with abandoned houses…and the creature he was chasing had vanished into a dust that drifted away in a small breeze.

"That was weiiiird." Heartwing said, scratching his head.

"Hold." A voice called out.

Heartwing turned around to see him. The person who had killed his human form and who had caused his daughter to die because she'd sacrificed her heart for HIS sake. Azazel stood there, holding up his lance, eyes steely, jaw set with resolution.

"There shall be no escape, dragon." Azazel spoke calmly. "You will be slain."

"You wanna hurt me?" Heartwing asked, looking confused. He blinked his eyes, then gave Azazel a puzzled look. "Why do you wanna hurt me? Did I accidentally knock you over when I was chasing after a butterfly?"

"…no…I do not want to hurt you." Azazel remarked calmly.

Heartwing sighed in relief, placing his hand on his chest. "PHEW, that's really-"

"I want to KILL you. The sad, harsh difference is that when you are dead, you rot. When you are hurt, you BLEED. I will make you rot."

"…why?" Heartwing asked innocently, tilting his head.

"You're dragon race." Azazel said simply, as if this was akin to the eating of a baby.

"…this is…because I'm a dragon?" Heartwing gaped at Azazel, then pouted. "Hey, that's not fair!"

Azazel drew his lance and got into a fighting stance, one foot sliding forward, body lowering slightly as if crouched to pounce like a leopard, golden/amber eyes glistening as his wings stretched out. "LIFE is not fair. Prepare thyself! You'll get no more warning from me, wyrmling!"

Heartwing screamed and jumped to the side, rolling out of the way as Azazel launched himself at the dragon, the tip of his lance blazing furiously with holy flame. Azazel whipped around, eyes narrowing as he held the lance tip up at Heartwing, who rose quickly up to his feet.

"DEMI!" He called out.

Heartwing was quickly surrounded by swirling black balls that glowed an orange aura. They rushed around him as if he was being swept up in a tornado and then SLAMMED into his chest. He moaned as he clutched it, wheezing.

"Your health's been lowered. Hmm. It ought to have gone down by half…" Azazel frowned. "But it appears you only lost a quarter."

ONLY nothing, Heartwing thought as he rushed away, turning around and running as fast as he could, a harsh pain like a hand clutching his heart filling his chest. He had to save his wing strength for when he could make a good beeline for safety.

"Keep running all you wish. I will follow." Azazel spoke. "The Lord will grant me success!"

"Your God must be a real meany!" Heartwing yelled back as he ducked into an alley, avoiding a blast of burning fire. He panted as he continued to run, his strength slowly returning to him. His natural power as a master of light energy, being able to produce it and control it, granted him quick healing capabilities. But it did NOT give him the intelligence to look where he was going, because he promptly fell into an open sewer grate as he turned around to see if Azazel was still following him.

And, for the record…he was. Azazel peered down, looking at the caught-in-the-headlights gaze of the little green dragon as his silver crest/hair bobbed up and down, shaking with the rest of the frightened body as Heartwing squeaked and ran through the sewer.

"Stop running! One can't feel afraid!" Azazel called out.

"Give peace a chance!" Heartwing yelled back, turning into a new corner of the sewer.

…

…

…

… "HOW IN THE NAME OF BAHAMUT'S WINGS COULD YOU LOSE MY FATHER?" Senkoukura roared, fully transformed and screaming in Hanako and Ranku's face as Esmeralda shook her head in disappointment and irritation as Joshua jumped up and down in the air, waving his hands as Makani sighed deeply.

"HEY! Woah! Everyone calm down!" Joshua insisted, holding his hands up as Senkoukura turned his head.

It was amazing how many people were watching the spectacle unfold. Some were laughing, others were looking on with concerned faces, many were mystified.

"The World of the Major Arcana, my FATHER, has vanished! You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him! ALL OF YOU!" Senkoukura yelled furiously. It was not unusual for him to be so protective of his father, to treat him as a son rather than a dad…yeah, he was far more mature than his father, but if not for 421, the light-filled dragon, Senkoukura would not BE…and if he had not been his father, Senkoukura wouldn't have been HALF as good as he was right now. "How can I…"

He began to shrink as he hung his head, transforming back into his miniature form, with red curved stripe on his nose, blue eyes, white fur all over his winged body… "I lost him once, I don't want to lose my father again…"

"Heartwing won't be beaten by anyone." Makani said quietly, resolutely.

They all looked him over as Makani nodded again. "If anyone faces him, they'll find there's something about him. There is a quality he has that makes him unbeatable."

"What?" Joshua wanted to know

"It's a quality you have to some great degree, Joshua." Makani said, bowing his head. "A trait you have in common with the Fool. Compassion. To put it, pure and simply…love."

"Isn't that sweet."

Staccato's eyes widened with horror at the sound of a voice he recognized all too well. He turned his head at the approaching, gas-mask-wearing miner experiment who held dynamite in his hands as he stood atop a roof.

"I **HATE** sweet!" Mehjen laughed, tossing the dynamite at them all.

"You'll do no murder HERE!" Staccato snarled, flinging something out from his hand. A blast of plasma crystallized into a dagger-esque form, and cut the fuse to the dynamite off just in time. People screamed, running away as Staccato took up a fighting pose with his rainbow-colored beam saber. "Get out of here, everyone! ALL HUMANS have to run!"

"What? I'm not leaving you!" Joshua snapped.

"Mehjen targets humans above all others!" Staccato snapped. "He WILL be brought to justice!"

"Your PARTNER couldn't bring me to justice. What makes you think YOU can?"

Staccato's silver eyes turned blue for a moment. Then they became slowly darker and darker, going from purple to pure black as his eyes became dark slits of nothingness.

"You…DARE…talk of my beloved departed that way?" Staccato whispered dangerously.

Joshua's eyes went wide. So THIS was the person who'd murdered Rebecca Quarters 20 years ago, the same year Staccato had become the Justice. And why he was so furious now.

"I was just planning on killing Joshie over there. BUT…" Mehjen held up a couple of mines, juggling them. "Looks like I'm KILLING!"

THWOOSH! He tossed one of them.

"YOU!"

TWHOOSH! Another!

"FIRST!"

TWHOOSH! Yet another!

SLICE-SLICE-SLICE! Staccato lowered his saber. All of them had been neatly sliced in half as he swirled around, jumping through the air and slicing at the area Mehjen had been. I say "had" because Mehjen had jumped back JUST in time.

Well, almost. He'd gotten nicked on the stomach and was snarling.

"I am going to pay you back DOUBLE for that!" Mehjen snarled.

"And I'm helping." Jack remarked, appearing from out of an alley.

Joshua eyes narrowed…and then turned sad. "Mr. Aihue, for the love of God, stop this, think of your parents-"

"No." Jack said simply. "I'm not stopping anything. I'm starting something that can't be stopped. Granted, Gavrilo's death means I have to put Kokaua Town's destruction off for a LIIIIIIITLE while…" Jack added, holding up two fingers and showing off that just a LITTLE bit of time was needed. " But I don't mind starting here and painting the town red…"

He pressed a button. CLICK!

Sewer grates exploded upwards. Hundreds upon hundreds of needle-filled, pulsing-fleshed THINGS emerged. Once human…now nothing even remotely like homo sapiens. The Corporation…Jack…was willing to slaughter an entire city just to get at the MA.

And Joshua didn't see, in his horror, Mehjen jumping through the air at HIM.

But somebody ELSE did.

**THWONKA!**

Mehjen was aware of an ENORMOUS pain in his side and he hit the ground, snarling as he saw...Grey Nicholas Pelekai standing there, getting into a fighting position as Senkoukura and Ranku faced down the oncoming mass of Corporation slaves.

"I don't think so!" Grey snarled. "I'm Grey, the Bestial side of the Trinity and the Strength of the MA..."

He clenched his fists more tightly and soared through the air, mouth wide open and showing his large fangs, eyes pure white with a blood red tint, wide with fury and snarling out **"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS, YOU PYSCHOTIC ****FUCK!****"**

…

…

…

… Jude looked himself over in the mirror, sighed, then turned around to look Pleakley, Sari and the Executioner.

"So you'll be meeting them HERE instead?"

"It's not safe for us to go to Egypt. I sent a message for them to meet us here in Vatican City instead."

Jude folded his arms over his chest. He wanted to talk to his father and his mother and above all, the in-vitro mother of his beautiful child Echo. Page and Crystallene had undergone the same treatment he had, and being a member of the Church was immensely satisfying to Crystallene, who had been commissioned to do hundreds of art pieces for the Vatican out of the finest crystals. Stained glass windows were making a comeback all over the world, in fact. Why, that lovely lady of Lebanon had ordered a beautiful window made for the front of her Coptic church-

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sight of his father descending the stairs to go down to his son's office, with Bellatrix and Crystallene behind him. Pope Judas Thomas smiled happily at this, feeling comfort to see his family's faces all around.

Being the Pope of the Catholic Church was…it was an experience. An experience unlike any other. And a high honor indeed. It gave his kind new respect and made them not simply SEEM, but truly reveal them to BE spiritual equals to humans all across the world.

But, to be honest, he was often scared that he was doing the wrong thing. He'd been amazed at being chosen to be cardinal…and even more amazed when he'd won the position of Pope. Yet he really, really, REALLY didn't want to mess up. He'd meet every challenge and trouble headfirst, but after starting his solutions, he'd immediately worry "Boy I hope I didn't f—k up".

Poor Jude. If only he knew this was how many people felt about their everyday problems.

"Father, Sari and the others will be coming to my beloved city instead of Egypt…or Osaze."

"What do you think of Naomi?" Crystallene asked, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her coneheaded head to the side slightly, grinning a bit. "She ain't like "her". You know, that one that dresses like the…" Crystallene put her finger to her lip. She wasn't the smartest person around. "The…uh…the whore of…Baboon."

"Babylon."

"Yeah, that." Crystallene said quickly. "Dresses up in purple and red, parades around with fancy jewelry…"

"Gets drunk in the company of BEASTS. Do you know what most of her boyfriends have DONE for a living?" Page added. "For SHAME." He shook his head.

"Well, you know, the aussie's not that bad-"

"Look, I want to ask you something. Is it true that Dr. Leafgreen is really-"

"Yes." The Executioner said as Sari bobbed her head as she tapped the floor, as if listening to some unknown track nobody could hear.

"Wow. So is your sister Ewa Lani bisexual too?"

"No, and she's not a lesbian." The Executioner sighed.

Jude rubbed his chin. "Odd. I'd heard-"

"Grey told me in confession that the real reason she and he broke up was because she had said she wasn't ready. Apparently, she wasn't ready to…go out with somebody of Grey's unique…bloodline." Page nervously admitted.

"…wait…you mean that she wouldn't got out with him anymore once she found out he had more human than experimental blood in him?" Jude inquired. "That is…that's just…" He struggled to find the words.

The Executioner, however, was about to explain what Ewa had HONESTLY meant but didn't get the chance, for a moment later…

SCHLUNK!

Pleakley gasped as an arrow through an open window, with fire burning on the end and a message tied to the shaft found it's way JUST past his head. "You've got mail!" He squeaked out.

Jude took it and read it over. "Hand over the girl or the next one goes into your head."

Jude frowned at this, and looked around at the windows that were all open. He snapped his fingers.

CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK. All four of them shut, a hidden switch activating. "We've not much time, let's run." He said. "If that sniper was able to get past the Swiss Guards of the Vatican, he must have incredibly dangerous powers."

"COME ON OUT, YA PIECE OF TRAILER PARK TRASH!" An Irken with golden/brown eyes shouted. He wore a dark blue cloaked jacket and sheathed-armored pants with a gauntlet that had three long gold claws that were segmented and sharp as a pin. He had the same metallic sheathe armor over his chest and a cruel glint in his eyes with greenish hair bobbing down in two antennae-like locks that were falling down in front of his face as his black Irken antennae were slicked back against his head. He had golden boots on with jets embedded in the hell and was hovering in midair, the Swiss Guards milling about, preoccupied with a certain…problem he'd created.

"Listen to my associate Two, my dear cousins." Eclipse crooned, tapping on another window and making Sari scream and bang the side of her head with her fist. "Give us the girl and you will be spared and rewarded."

"Are you sick in the head?" Crystallene snapped angrily, shaking her first at him.

Eclipse licked his lips, making Crystallene gulp a little. The son of 561 was just as frightening as his dad sometimes. "Ah, I'll get to you after her. Sari will be quite a treat. Albinos are very enjoyable treats…such softness of skin…"

Jude snapped his fingers. For a moment Two and Eclipse thought they were complying…

SMACKA-TWHACK!

SMACKA-THWACK!

The moment the right windows had opened, Pleakley had thrown two copies of the Bible that were on a nearby shelf at the villains, hitting them in the face. They floundered around as our protagonists raced out of the office and across the yard, barely avoiding Two as he bent a large bow back and launched burning arrows at them. The sizzling strokes of death BARELY missed their bodies…they could feel the heat all around them as he continued to shoot the arrows.

"You can't keep running forever!" Two called out.

"I won't HAVE to." Page said, rushing up into the air with the Executioner on his back. "Get Sari to safety!" He called back.

Two grinned at this as Page and the Executioner stood on top of the wall of the Vatican. He and Eclipse hovered side by side. "So…you think you can beat us?"

"Why not? It is two on two…"

"Heh. That's funny. My NAME is Two." Two spoke up.

"What an odd name." Page admitted.

"Well, my full name is Zerinim Two Jookiba."

Page's eyes went wide. "…you…are…you're the Flower's son?"

Page's relationship with Kila had been like many early Christian attempts to introduce the message of loving they neighbor to the ancient world: good-intentioned, and sadly cut off short.

Upon reading up on the saints, Page had discovered the saints known as St. Teresa of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Avila, the Little and Big Flower respectively. Upon learning that Kilana's name was so close to the Jukani term for "Flower", he'd begun calling her "Flower" as a term of endearment. The color of her skin and her affinity for plants had helped this along as well.

What she really liked was how he stuck a small flag outside of his room that had a little gold cross on it. Whenever that flag was up outside his door, it meant one thing.

"The Savior is…IN." She'd joke just before going inside to talk with him.

Kila had liked several things about Christianity…mostly the more, shall we say, VIOLENT parts. The sensational parts.

A judge promised to sacrifice the first thing he saw when he returned home to God…turned out to be his daughter. She immediately said "Reminds me of Jumba" upon hearing that.

When Page got to the part about Jael nailing Sisera's head to the ground with a tent peg, she had grinned and called it girl power at it's finest.

When he'd gotten to the part of how sinners would eventually be cast alive into a Lake of Fire and the old Earth destroyed and made into something far more wonderful than BOTH their minds could comprehend at the moment, she'd looked fascinated.

"The world gets burnt up and destroyed and replaced with something better. Sounds good to me."

What had strained their relationship was a comment he had absentmindedly said. "Our names mean the same thing…servant. Perhaps that is a sign from-"

She'd slapped him. "Mine means SLAVE." She had said angrily, turning away, looking hurt. "And as long as I'm here with Jumba in this…this GODDAMNED lab, I'll never be anything else!"

_"Flower…" _Page had begun. "Please, you are not alone. You are not EVER alone-"

"Don't try to convert me." She'd said quietly. And just like that, it was over. She avoided him for years. YEARS. Not that he hadn't said "hello" to her or called her "Flower" if he saw her…

But then…

He'd been setting up a little something to imitate what he'd had back at the lab. And he'd heard her voice.

"The Savior is…IN."

There she was, with Zerinim on her arm, and she humbly asked him if he'd marry them.

He'd said yes. And so a part of their relationship had been restored. He didn't even have regrets about the last thing he'd talked to Kila about not too long ago…the psalms.

"Oh yeah, they're SUPER depressing."

"Indeed. "Oh LORD, I'm so depressed. Nobody loves me and I've got boils. Heareth my voice from the depths, oh Lord and PLEAAAAASE doeth something about these boils. AAAAmen…AAAAmen…AAA-AAA-AAA-AAA-Meeeeen"!"

"But…how is this possible? We would have KNOWN if she had another child!" Page insisted.

Two smirked broadly and pointed at himself with the thumb claw of his gauntlet. "I am from the FUTURE, choir boy."

Unbeknownst to Page and The Executioner, Jude, Crystallene, Sari and Pleakley were being followed. Rushing as fast as they could, they raced along a long hallway that would take them to a dock where they would be able to take a boat to safety.

"Almost there…almost there…" Pleakley panted.

Crystallene suddenly gasped and flung up one paw. SCHWOOH! A crystalline shield was erected and it stopped a blast from a plasma gun. As the shield faded away, they saw two faces standing in their way. One was Frequency, who lowered his gun and tossed it away, sighing as he placed his paws on his hips.

"Hard way…huh?" He asked softly as the other familiar face grinned wryly, worms poking out of one eye, flesh turned rust-colored as bone peeked out from snapped kneecaps and another worm wriggled out of his nose, in one nostril and out the other before poking out of the ear.

"Bartok." Pleakley whispered, wishing he'd not left his weapon back at Niihau…

The Executioner drew a large, sharp knife…then another. It had a serrated edge and he twirled it around before grabbing two MORE and holding them in all four hands. "I'm going to cut you up into pieces, then put you back together again and then cut them up AGAIN."

"Temper your justice with MERCY." Page insisted.

"Mercy? I'm not known for that." The Executioner said.

"Funny…me too! And guess what?" Two remarked as Eclipse grinned, "I'm not known for being patient either!"

He drew his bow.

…

…

…

… King had been expecting to find an ornate and well-decorated living room. And he had. He'd expected to find beautiful paintings on the walls of Naomi's favorite places to visit and her most beloved figures in History. And he had. They ALL had.

What he HADN'T expected to find...

Was her.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?" King screeched in a high, horrified voice, his golden/yellow eyes blazing with horrified fury as he looked his former student over.

Where had once been fur was rusty, brownish/black flesh...eyes that simply were not EYES, but were only white blanks, sunken in and filled with a dead light. In HIS case, his hair was still left at the top of his head, but his wormy tail was eaten away in chunks. On her, Some bone poking out from the flesh, an eaten-away nose, and of course

_Patch never sneered_

"Aw, is something BOTHERING you?" Patch...no, the Non-Patch asked eagerly, placing her paws over her breasts. "Is it me being dead? You're the one who put me out of your misery! Want to give me another kiss? Rock me to eternal sleep?"

"Hey teach." Non-Barty remarked, grinning happily. He twirled a wand in his paw, smirking visibly. "You know, it's great being like this. You've no idea how much money I save on food bills!"

Naomi was evidently as disgusted by this as he was. "How...what are undead children doing in my private home?"

"You will, ah, have to excuse them." A rather tall Irken wearing a long white t-shirt with a pink heart on the front remarked, stepping into the room. She had pink eyes and reindeer-esque antennas and was looking amusingly at Patch as the others gazed in horror, save for Zoburg, who seemed to think it fascinating from the obsessed glint in his eyes, and Jacques, who was visibly disgusted, his already pale face now turning paler AND light green as he felt bile rise at the sight of some skin flaking off the Non-Patch and Non-Barty. "Neither are WELL." The Irken remarked.

White folded his arms and frowned deeply as he looked Sue over. Murder was on his mind.

"What...did you DO...to her, Invader Sue?" He whispered softly.

"Me? Nothing. Except bring her here. SAMAEL did all of this." Sue shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'll rip your flesh with my FANGS." King swore furiously, his tail coiling behind him. He felt the magic of the Poison element he'd imbued into his Anaconda body rise as he prepared to hock the most disgustingly toxic loogie he could muster. "How DARE you dishonor my students in such a fashion!"

Barty, one of his first experimental students. He'd blown up himself every other time he'd used a wand until King had instructed him. He'd always wanted to learn Wizardry and King had been eager to help him do so.

And now Patch, his sweet, knowing other student whom he'd seen such talent in was as horribly unloving as Barty.

"You poor, stupid little man." Sue whispered angrily. "You only care so much about your students because they're substitutes for your OWN children. You weren't brave enough to stand up to your wife...that's why SHE took them away from you! You're a TEACHER because you weren't man enough to be a FATHER!"

Those words stung King to the core. He blinked back tears and desperately tried to keep his sorrow suppressed, holding one fist over his mouth.

"You've even FAILED many students. Remember Naga?" Sue whispered. "And DAVID has been lost too...and BARTY died as well…and of course, PATCH...dear Patch, I have heard how much you wept for her as you stole her life away in an act of mercy." She added, smirking broadly.

King could not suppress his tears anymore. He let out a wild cry of abandonment and sank to his knees, sobbing as he clutched his head, the tears falling down in harsh plops to the floor below as White frowned deeply, clutching his fingers into a fist.

"Let's...leave him alone." Jacques finally got out. He and Zoburg grabbed ahold of Lilo's arms as Naomi led them out a nearby door, leaving White alone with Not-Patch, Sue and King.

"And guess what?" Sue added cheerfully.

"My FRIENDS decided to come here too, remember?" Not-Patch spoke up. "I'm gonna chew them up and spit them out!" She gleefully told her former teacher.

"Where ARE they, anyhow?" White realized inside his head, eyes widening.

Where indeed.

With Nacht nursing a sore wound in the leg and Myr wrapped up in rope, Echo and Patch were forced to back away with horror as Alex's body slid back, a rapier withdrawing from his chest as a red-helm-wearing, yellow-visored robot with an Irken PAK's spider legs extended calmly held the bloody thing up and smiled coldly as she stood by a purple-eyed Irken with a dark black and purple outfit that was caped, a dark purple circle on the front and a hypnotic implant chip on her head. She folded her arms and looked them over with amusement as her partner's high and cold voice stated simple fact…

"This is Tak, Irken Rogue and member of the Corporation. I am the Chalice of the Minor Arcana…Miyu. You…are next."


	24. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

_Okay…something terrible was going on. Not merely to us good guys, but to the baddies as well._

_Nick and Grey are being attacked by a mass murderer who likes to target humans…_

_Lilo is Zoburg and Jacques's prey…_

_Things are not that much better for Page, Jude, Sari and Pleakley…_

_Rupert's trying to bring back the dead we've lost, but he has no idea that he's in incredible danger._

_And poor King…poor Echo…poor Yuna…_

_Do we even have ANY chance?_

_…hope springs eternal.  
_  
... "Alright, it's really simple…be understanding." Junior informed the female bartenders as he nodded at them. "Let them bend your ears whilst they bend YOUR elbows and be sure to smile and say "Yeah, I know what you mean" and "I completely feel your pain" as sincerely as you can. And remember…"

He held up a mug to one of the taps. "POURING is a talent and ART. Hold the glass like so…

PSSHHH!

"At a forty-five degree angle whilst aiming for the middle slope, then when you're at the halway point, lift it about…ninety degrees." He added. "And keep pourin' until you've got a nice head of foam."

Green and Junior were sitting in a bar in Vegas with Frank whilst Chops was at a blackjack table across from them, winning an obscene amount of money due to his ability to read minds

"Wow, you're good." One of the bar girls said. "Thanks for the advice Hamstercutie, it's our first night…" They both nodded, then walked off as Junior turned to Green.

"How did you know what to do? All those beer tricks?" Green asked.

"Having a mom who runs a bar is an excellent way to learn the art of fine distillation." Junior explained as Chopsuey came over, holding up his winnings in a big sack.

"THIS, is gonna be my baby's baby's COLLEGE FUND." He told them happily. "Unlike Frank and Victoria's, which I won on a lottery-"

"Hey!"

A voice called out. They turned their heads as an experiment with slightly pinkish-red undertones and a grey/black body approached. He had slightly ruffled ears and above all, deeply dark and moving eyes. "You'd better not be the one I think you are!"

Chopsuey immediately flexed a claw. The experiment stopped in place and Chops's eyes widened...then he smiled and nodded. "Ah, it is good to see an old friend of the family."

Green and Junior rubbed their chins. For some reason, they had a feeling they had met this person before...or that they WOULD meet him many times in the future.

"This is Orion, professional journeyer between the realms." Chopsuey explained as Orion rubbed his head.

"Did you have to use the llamas?" He asked, slightly whining.

"Wow, you could tell they were llamas? Most people can't. That takes skill." Chops complimented.

"Well I know YOU two." Orion said, grinning as he looked Green and Junior over. "Listen, I'm aware you are having...problems with the Corporation."

"Yeah." Green admitted.

"Well as it were, they happened to have been stupid enough not to put up shields to prevent dimensional gateways from opening in their bases. I was checking up on large threats to the world and look what I find in their office!"

His happy, cheerful tone turned dark. "It's...not pretty."

He handed a folder to Green and Junior and they looked it over. It described a plan to eliminate the latest Grand Councilman...a plan to eliminate experiment 625, Rueben.

And Frequency's picture was next to old tubby's.

MEANWHILE!

Heartwing stepped back further and further…all too aware that he had nowhere else to go. His back met with cold, slimy sewer wall as his eyes went wide with fear at the approaching angel of death…HIS death.

He found himself crying uncontrollably, silver tears streaming down from his eyes as he sobbed and sobbed, getting on his knees, hands gripping the ground just beneath the shallow sewer water as Azazel continued to approach. He was about to be murdered, and murdered by somebody who honestly believed themselves to be a good and decent person, furthermore, a servant of God, like his dear friend Page.

He was not crying out of fear or pity for himself…but for this being. Azazel could do such good with his gifts and instead he was about to do something horrible. Heartwing, who loved every single soul he met unconditionally, was feeling the emotional equivalent of being betrayed by his own brother.

His tears continued to fall even as Azazel pointed his lance at Heartwing. "Cry your crocodile tears all you wish." He spoke softly. "There shall be no escape from this."

Heartwing didn't even have the heart to speak. He just cried and cried. Azazel frowned. This was VERY unsettling to him.

"Is this really right?" He prayed silently in his heart.

RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE. That same answer returned, though stronger now.

But he WAS doing that. He was not simply resisting either. He was slaying the devil. What more could God want?"

Azazel raised his lance up, preparing to bring it straight down through the dragon's neck…

Then, suddenly, Heartwing asked him a question. "Were you always...this way?"

Azazel blinked. "No. I didn't originally believe in God either. I just...did things for Star Command because my parents had taught me that doing good for the sake of others and for it's own sake were noble goals. I strove to be the best at everything there so that I could never fail others. Upon encountering His word, I became convinced I had a great purpose in His master plan."

Heartwing looked up. He had a look of genuine pity on his face. "I'm sorry if...you don't like my kind. I wish..." He held his head in his hands and shook it slowly back and forth. "I wish I could kiss the World and make everything all better...and take away all the bad things dragons ever did..." He apologized.

The Rugged Strength of God felt pity rise in him. That apology was sincere and sweet. Surely, Azazel thought, God would show some mercy on the dragon's soul. The angel steered his lance steady to ensure an instant demise without pain. "A thousand sorries…but that simply isn't possible..." Azazel said softly, raising his lance. "After all..."

He prepared to bring it down again, but then stopped...

And his eyes went wide with horror.

_After all one person cannot take away the sins of an entire race…_

He stepped back. His face became pale. He began to choke on air, his form changing. Now he had skin similar to his mother's…a form of green with a gumdrop shaped nose and large ears…black claws on his hands which were retracted at the moment and white talons on his feet with a reptilian tail appearing from behind as his wings flapped slightly, his amber eyes widening more and more.

"No…" He whimpered. "I…I was…WRONG?" He gasped out.

He reeled back, closing his eyes, hot bitter tears falling down as a portal opened up behind him and he stepped through.

"Wh…what…what is this? How…how can I…be so WRONG?"

And with that…he was gone. Heartwing blinked for a few times before he felt a familiar hand take his shoulder.

"Heartwing, we've gotta getcha back to the others." Charlie said, smiling gently. "Nick and Grey are in a lot of trouble."

"Hey daddy." Esmeralda said. "I'm…glad you're alright." She mumbled nervously.

Meanwhile, Makani was doing his part, rushing people out of the line of fire and pushing them with his air pressure power. It was like herding cattle to go across a stream, but he did it with astonishing gentleness. He did not have any intention of letting ANY of them be trampled or harmed, and certainly NOT by that evil horde that was approaching.

Senkoukura and Ranku were holding them back…but there were so many, and they had to hold back their own strength, not wishing to do property damage if they could help it. Senkoukura swiped his claws down, smushing many and turning them into grease spots as Ranku's power over ice made them become impaled by icicles all around.

"Keep them back my lord!" Makani roared out, holding up a fist. "Those that fight with honor shall be rewarded!"

"You honor me with your words." Senkoukura intoned, nodding his majestic head. "You've always been so devoted and gentle in your actions."

"I will continue to be." Makani swore, holding up another paw as he maneuvered the last of the humans out of downtown Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Grey was fighting with Jack, spinning around and slicing and clawing as Jack ducked back over and over, laughing all the while.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh Uncle, you're so predictable!"

"I'm…going…to cut you up into little pieces!" Grey swore.

"What, don't you want to talk about the happy occasion?"

Grey frowned, stopping then as Jack calmly tossed a knife up and down. It spun like a pinwheel in the air, but he continued to catch it on the hilt, not the blade. "What happy occasion?" Grey inquired, eyes narrowing.

"Why, my sister's got a bun in the oven and he's going to be out any day now. Do you know the SEX of the boy?"

"…shut your mouth or I shut it for you." Grey whispered angrily. He knew what Jack was getting at.

"It's a boy, I know this for a fact." Jack remarked. The idea that Jack had gotten close enough to his pregnant sister to figure out the sex of the child sickened Grey and infuriated him. "Oh don't worry, she's not going to die. I'm not prepared to finish her yet, not until that tadpole is out of the pond."

"Stop talking about the child." Grey demanded, his claws itching for Jack's throat as he watched the one he had cared so deeply for calmly discuss the murder of his own sister.

"I knew you'd go for me. You feel so betrayed!"

"I TRUSTED YOU! WE TRUSTED YOU! WE GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND YOU TREATED US LIKE DIRT!" Grey screamed furiously.

Joshua, meanwhile, was doing his level best as well. Mehjen had fought tougher men, but he could not remember WHEN. Joshua kicked like a mule and bit like a crocodile…and he knew the weak spots of experiments from his experience in fighting alongside and against them. Most experiments who were not "super warriors" like Stitch or Leroy or the like had bodies similar to dogs. They weren't too durable and a good kick would make them hurt quite badly. Mehjen was tougher than most experiments and stronger, but even the "super warriors" had weak spots that were standard…

The nose…now bloodied from harsh punches. The inside of the ears…bitten and ragged. And of course…

"YEEEOOOOOWWWOOOOOOOUUUUUHHH!" Mehjen howled, holding his "golden mushrooms".

"Hey, Nick always told me the nards are fair game. And if I need to…I fight dirty. " Joshua said, rushing into a house across the street as Mehjen rolled around, moaning horribly. Insane or not, Mehjen felt…very angry with himself. Almost as furious as he was with this STUPID, INFERIOR MEAT PUPPET. He was a skilled murderer…and yet he'd been laid low by a young-bodied superhero who did not just fight dirty, he fought VERY dirty.

Mehjen raced inside the house as Joshua panted heavily. He'd been cut all over his body and his shirt was in shreds as blood seeped down to the floor, dripping freely. He was pretty dang fast and strong, but nowhere near as strong as Mehjen, or as durable. But he made up for it in strength of heart…as long as he kept on fighting, he believed he'd win. He had to. Mehjen had to be stopped.

But he could hear Nick's voice inside his head, like a disembodied conscience.

_Does that mean you'll kill him? Does that mean you'll end his life to save the lives of others whom he might slay?_

_He was not ALWAYS insane. Nobody's born evil. Not a single person. And don't you SAVE people instead of kill them?_

_Isn't that what a hero's supposed to do? Give people a chance to be saved?  
_  
Joshua was jolted out of his thoughts by Mehjen's mad giggling. "Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee…oh where, oh where has that little dog gone? Oh where oh where can he beeee?"

_Be quiet._ Joshua thought as he carefully tiptoed through a kitchen and up a set of stairs, across a hallway as Mehjen made his way through the house, still singing and calling out for Joshua.

"Come out, come out, wherever you arrrre! I could say that it won't hurt one bit…but…" He began to dissolve into horrid laughter. _"I'd be lying!"_ He managed to get out in between his sick, twisted giggling chortles.

Joshua was now furious. He called down. "Mehjen, stop it now and I promise I'll let you go unharmed." He was trying to be nice. Mehjen had murdered hundreds and instead of ripping the monster a new one either verbally or physically, Joshua was offering a chance for Mehjen to leave.

This made the miner laugh harder. Joshua took that to mean "No" and began to whisper to himself. "Mehjen is INSANE. You have the advantage. He's insane. You…"

His eyes widened. He had a plan. A good one too. Mehjen's mind was fragile. VERY fragile.

He raced down the steps and into a closet. Food coloring... large tubs of cooking oil…very, very flammable cooking oil besides a bunch of water jugs…

Mehjen looked around the darkened hallways. All of the lights were off, but he didn't care. "I can taste your pheromones…I'll eat your nose first, then pluck out one eye and make you watch as I eat it. Then I think I'll make you hold your own intestines as I slurp them up like spaghetti, and then I'll go out for Italian." He said nonchalantly.

His nostrils sniffed the air. "Oh where, oh where…can…"

That smell. Strong. Harsh. Bitter. Cooking oil.

He followed it through the hallway, past some poorly-rendered paintings of Mediterranean scenes, his paws thudding against the non-carpeted floor. He found his way to a large living room, following the trail of something wet…

Therein was Joshua, who was tossing the last of cooking oil onto the ground. Mehjen grinned and stepped forward, going closer and closer to the center of the room as Joshua stepped back.

"Did you think I was going to make one little slip?" Mehjen asked.

"No. I was thinkin' of making you burn, baby, burn." Joshua remarked, holding up a box of matches and lighting one.

Self confidence is like a pair of lungs. And once both are pricked and deflated, something else quickly fills them…fear. Total and utter fear. And this gripped Mehjen's heart like a vise as his eyes went wide.

"No…you…you're…" He stammered, his heart pounding in his chest, thudding louder and louder in his damaged ears as a fever grew in his head. "You're completely insane!" He shouted, holding up his paws to his head, eyes bulging with horror.

"And you're completely evil!" Joshua shouted in response. "SO WE'RE EVEN!"

He dropped the match and Mehjen screamed.

…

…

…

…King was weeping bitterly as Sue laughed and White clenched his fist in fury. Normally he didn't mind some trash talk…but this was going too far. And he didn't expect such raw cruelty from a woman who claimed to be an absolute paragon of loveliness, a sought-after beauty for all Irkens. This SUCCUBUS was going to pay for hurting his friend's feelings. Pay DEARLY.

"Stop…this…now." White whispered.

"He fails everyone he loves." Sue went on. Her voice was ringing with glee…she'd enjoyed describing King's failure to protect every single person he seemed to have felt great love for, his first students, his adopted son, his REAL son and daughter…she was so happy over his sorrow…so happy over his misery and suffering.

White's skin was turning pitch black. His eyes were green. His fury was becoming uncontrollable. He stepped forward to begin the fake Patch and Barty, but…

King raised a three-digited clawed hand and shook his head. "No. I'll save them on my own." He whispered as Black blinked.

Patch sneered again and placed one paw on her hips, tapping her head with her other paw. "Heh-heh-heh. I think all those years of doing magic have finally rotten your brain out, teach. You're not gonna really kill me, are ya?"

"Yeah teach. You could never kill me. You're the _greatest_!" Barty snickered.

"I will save you." King told them, swearing solemnly. "I'll save you through my arts and bring you back to life." With that his tail suddenly whipped forward and grabbed Patch's leg, throwing her through the air and at Barty, knocking them across the room.

"You're MINE, bitch!" Black snarled, jumping forward and grabbing Sue's shirt to hold her up and deliver swift punches to break every tooth in her-

CHA-CHUNK! She opened her mouth and a cannon shaft emerged from it. Black ducked in time as a burning blast of plasma soared through the air and made a large hole in the wall.

"I keep forgetting you can pull guns from ANYWHERE." Black muttered hatefully. "You psychotic bitch."

"Takes one to know one!" Sue said, lifting up her shirt as a wicked-looking blaster popped out.

Black jumped up and his fist glowed brightly with pink energy. "Chaos SURGE!" He laughed, holding it at Sue…specifically her antennae.

BA-BOIIIIING!

They vibrated heavily and she screamed, falling to the floor and twitching madly as Black calmly waved a finger in the air, seeing King toss Not-Patch and Not-Barty out a nearby window, then jump out after her. "You're makin' this too EASY for me!" He laughed.

"Proof of your truest love is alive and breathing." Sue whispered as she slowly got up.

The half-chaos being's eyes went wide as saucers. "…wh…what?" He whispered.

Sue grinned and slammed down a capsule onto the ground, vanishing in a flash of light. Black reverted to White, mouth opening and closing.

Proof of his truest love…

He had…a _DAUGHTER_?

Meanwhile, Staccato frowned as he folded his arms, looking Heartwing and Charlie over as they emerged from a sewer grating. "What happened?" He asked angrily. "There's an ENORMOUS crisis! I need your help in ending an invasion of Hypercortisone X-ed up druggies who have so devolved into mutant freaks that even if I made them feel empathy again all they'd do is scream and kill themselves!" He frowned deeply. "I need your light, World, and you, Sun…wait…"

He frowned. "There's…something…on you. A presence. Who threatened you?"

"…Azazel." Heartwing spoke up softly. "He stopped though!" The little dragon added quickly. "He realized what he was doing was wrong!"

"The Rugged Strength of…" Staccato's eyes turned sorrowful. "…I know of him." He added gently, hanging his head. "The same way I know of…this has to stop." He muttered. "I have to do something. SOMETHING."

An idea entered his head. He looked Charlie over. "Charlie? I need you to take me somewhere. World, you may come if you wish."

"Where are we going?" Charlie asked.

"Where I should have gone a long time ago…but were always too afraid to do so." Staccato said quietly, turning around and holding up a golden-gauntleted hand as a swirling starry portal appeared and beautiful light shone out. "What he would have wished me to…"

He, Charlie and Heartwing stepped forward. As they entered the portal, Heartwing saw Staccato's appearance change into his true form. He wore a green, angelic-appearing tunic now and wielded a large and long sword that was strapped to a sheathe on his belt. He had a pair of plain sandals and beautifully large wings that stretched out slightly, then folded. Now he was now longer Staccato Remiel. He was simply Remiel. Angel of Dreams…Prophecies…Visions…

And he was now he and the two others were seeing one vision that was not simply a vision. Samael stood there, arms folded, one non-existent eyebrow raised as he took one hand and brushed the ten thin strands of hair at the top of his furry head back.

"Remy." He remarked calmly. "Riiiiiight."

MEANWHILE...

"I heard about YOU, you...you..." Echo struggled to find the right words.

"Bitch?" Tak offered.

"That works, but mommy doesn't like me using words like that." Echo admitted.

"Your grandparents are sex-crazed perverts, your dad isn't HERE and neither is your MOTHER, and besides...do you REALLY think that swearing is such a big deal at a time like this?" Tak inquired.

"No, but I was WONDERING what the hold-up was and I'm irritated to "see" the reason why!"

THWONKA!

Miyu and Tak jumped back as Darth, suspended on his mechanical spider legs that extended out from his PAK made him skitter in front of Echo and Patch, his white eyes glowing as he looked into Tak's mind.

"Tak." He greeted her softly, sadly.

"Hello, Darkling." Tak muttered, frowning slightly.

"And here I thought you had some semblance of honor. Attacking CHILDREN?" Darth demanded. "Have you no heart?"

Actually, Tak did, and though Darth couldn't see, the momentary, sharp pause gave him enough proof. Yes, she did, but she put the mission first and foremost over all regret or compassion she might have for her prey…she'd ALWAYS been like that.

"Oh spare me the Freud." Tak said after the pause, waving her hand in the air. "You'll never be forgiven for what you've done, no matter how much you preach our race's need for it."

"You could be GOOD if you bothered to TRY, I told you that the last time-" Darth began.

"That was a LONG time ago." Tak snapped.

"You, uh, know her?" Nacht inquired.

"Tak and I happen to be _old_ acquaintances. She was one of the first people who got married in the Irken Church. I was her pastor, and she was an enthusiastic saint and she had a lovely singing voice..." Darth spoke softly, his voice as a whispering wind. Nacht frowned. There was always something unsettling about the blind one, though his voice was pleasant, crooning and soft, it sometimes sounded…void of true emotion, almost robotic. How much of what he was saying was genuine? How much of his words were true?

"Oh yes, I was an enthusiast. THEN my husband died." Tak snapped. "And I learned the hard way that for all your tales of a better world after for those who were good, they were just that...tales and nothing more. I HAD been good and how was I rewarded? By losing Dib!"

"Tak, I am sorry...but these children are _**innocent**_. Your suffering gives you not the right to harm those who have not sinned." He pleaded.

"Oh I'm not interested in targeting THEM. I'm here to take YOU down. When Zoburg told me about you being here, I LEAPT at the chance to get even." Tak bragged.

Careful!" Alex called out. "That robotic bitch is absolutely bloody MENTAL." He insisted, transforming back into his experimental form.

"Her blade seriously HURT!" Nacht added, panting as he got back up and Myr stood up as well, ready to brawl. "Her flurry of blows felt the equivalent of being eviscerated with several thick pitchforks…"

"Yes, my permanently enchanted blade can cut through ANYTHING." Miyu said with a Mona Lisa smile. "Statement: Being stabbed by it is like being struck on your Achilles Heel. Insult: That limey little organic is LUCKY I hit his lung instead of his heart."

"Quite the nice little stinger you got there. Here are MINE." Darth hissed, ducking down as his spider legs shot forward in the direction of her voice, having gotten a good look at her through Tak's mind. One was aiming for where her head was, another for her side, another for if she dove to the right, another if she dove for the left.

But instead she backflipped, the sound of hands on dirt going father back telling him he'd missed as Miyu's laughter rang out, cold and high along with Tak's slightly insane giggle. "Taunt: You shall have to endeavor to do FAR better than THAT."

"He won't be ALONE." Nacht snapped.

Miyu gasped as the ground beneath her turned into glass and she stood stock still so as to not slip, though Tak DID slip and was rewarded by being grabbed around the ankle by Myr's microphone whip. He twirled her around in the air angrily and prepared to use his Judgment power…

"STOP!" Darth yelled.

Myr blinked and dropped her to the ground as Nacht jumped back in time, avoiding a swipe from Miyu's blade. Miyu picked Tak up as Myr rounded on Darth.

"Oy gevalt, what do you think you're doing, you meshugganah!" Myr growled.

"Don't harm her!" Darth insisted. "I have faith…faith I can reach her."

"You need to learn this lesson SOONER or later, Darkling." Tak whispered as Miyu slammed a capsule down into the ground, making them vanish, Tak's words lingering on the air as Echo and Yuna clung to Alex.

_"You can't trust ANYONE."_

ELSEWHERE…

"Thank you for the supplies." Naomi said happily, clasping the shades-wearing Caucasian man. He had brownish/blonde hair and a slightly scraggly beard with a dark shirt and jeans. He had a belt loaded up with various kinds of money from American to Australian to French to Ukrainian.

The Vendor nodded in understanding as they sat at the bar. "It's my pleasure as always to assist the church of…" He frowned. "Quick question, you're speaking for the United Nations, correct?"

"Yep! This is all very official." Naomi insisted. "You know, New York was like a second home to me growing up…such fond memories..." She sighed. "It gets very hard, y'know...sometimes I feel like I'm running a country, I TRY to live up to my duties properly."

"Of course, ma'am." The Vendor remarked.

"Please, call me "Naomi". I prefer it." She insisted.

She then turned and noticed Jacques was looking guiltily down at the ground…distracted. She had no idea he'd just come back from a terrible, horrible sight.

"What's with you?" She asked. She didn't really like him, he had shifty eyes.

"...nothing." He said rudely, turning away. Well, this gave her an idea.

White, meanwhile, had run off, leaving King to deal with the kids, which he was certain the snake magus could do blindfolded. He was leaning against Naomi's car, looking down and to the side at Mark, who was still turned into a snake.

"So, you can understand everything I'm sayin'?"

A nod.

"Listen…if you want her to change her back…AND want to charm her…I can help." He instructed Mark. He handed him a notepad and a pen. "Here's how you start, and I'll give you the final touch in a second." He cleared his throat…

Lilo snickered madly as Jacques's cry echoed out from the LADIES bathroom as Naomi emerged from it. The diplomat giggled madly. "I call that a ROYAL FLUSH. Of Red...White...and BLUE." She told Jacques, flashing the multicolored cards in front of his face.

"You're hilarious. Uproaringly uproarious." He mumbled, shaking the excess toilet water off him, making people laugh until it got on THEM, and then they all moaned.

"Ever think your family line is cursed?" White asked.

"Yes. Many, many times." Jacques muttered.

"The Vendor here supplies people like Naomi with MANY tools. The same way he does for US." Zoburg told Lilo. "He's sold me the technology I'm going to use to turn your power into a tool I'LL use to gain everything I want, and what I WANT is absolutely knowledge of magic. I've been learning bits and pieces, but I've yet to actually cast the most potent magic I can muster, the one I yearn for so…" Zoburg trailed off.

"He's got is theories and ideas, true. He wants all knowledge on magic so he can twist it to his own use, the same way he wants to twist YOUR magic." Jacques explained to Lilo. "Not that I think he can do it, he's not as brilliant as yours truly." He laughed, placing his paw on his chest. This earned him a kick from Zoburg, making Jacques hiss angrily.

"Aether, Quintessence, the final element, Dream, will soon be mine to master." Zoburg snapped.

Lilo's mouth dropped open. People in the bar who had been listening gasped. Naomi's eyes shot open in horror.

"No offense, but th-that power should-should be left to God alone!" She insisted. "Just like the power of Life." She added with a dark edge, looking Lilo over.

"Don't talk verdammt nonsense!" Jacques remarked. "What if God created Lilo because he WANTS her to bring people to life? Suppose a child gets hit by a bus, taken before her time and Lilo saves her, is that not doing truly godly work?"

"But Dream has the power to do more than give Life or take it…it shapes reality itself, it's raw POTENTIAL brought out!" Naomi snapped. "You will NEVER understand it though." She added with a hint of smugness. "You haven't got what it takes." She told Zoburg.

"And to think, you're selling weapons to these psychos?" Lilo asked the Vendor, who shrugged as he gestured at all the seedy-looking patrons.

"See them?" He asked. "All of them are lost causes. I give them ALL the weapons they need to take their enemies down and give their enemies the same things. I'm an equal opportunity vendor."

"So if I, say, were to ask you to deliver "1000 perforating machines" to Kokaua Town…you'd do it? Even though the Corporation asks you to sell weapons to them?"

"Absolutely." The Vendor said, lowering his glasses and revealing dark eyes and a big smirk.

"…that's amoral." Lilo said.

"No, just good business and smart. I'm doing the world a needed service AND a favor. Let Israeli wipe out Palestinian, let Muslim wipe out Jew, let Corporation wipe out Major Arcana and vice versa! The best way to end a conflict is to take BOTH sides out."

Lilo's eyes turned steely. She was about to say something when Naomi's surprised exclamation made her turn her head as she read a notepad over that Mark, who was still a snake, had just handed to her.

"Oh, of COURSE I'll accept your apology!" Naomi insisted. "And I had no idea you were such a poet, Mark..."

Naomi reached into a belt pocket, carefully opening up his mouth and depositing a pearly-white substance into his mouth. Moments later, he transformed into a handsome-looking man with a five o'clock shadow, who quickly ran out. White held up a cup filled with wine and grinned. "He told me earlier he wanted to go propose to Shiela. So...to the soon-newly engaged!" He proclaimed.

The whole bar repeated the cheer. Zoburg rolled his eyes and grabbed Lilo, heading out the door as Jacques followed after with White finishing off his wine before approaching the Vendor.

"Listen, I need to clarify...those "perforating machines"...are they for a certain big, green cockroach and his friends...to be used by an ally of them, or used ON them by a so-called ally?"

"You ARE smart." The Vendor laughed, leading White into a back room and locking the door. "Yes, she's stringing them along. She got in contact with the Vatican not too long ago, but we need to keep appearances up on BOTH sides, since there are Corporation spies EVERYWHERE. She made up a fake reason for needing the weapons and that multi-armed freak's all too eager to have a taste of UN power..."

"She should win an Oscar!" White laughed.

Naomi ducked into the room with her own key, looking very pleased. "I KNEW he'd do it soon. I was glad it was today, I needed a pick-me-uh...oh..." She looked White over. "You...know, then."

"It's fine. You can trust me not to tell the others."

"Why should I? I've heard many horrid things about you, Michael White. You once threatened to blow up Jerusalem so NOBODY could, and I quote, "Whine about it anymore"."

"Why trust me? Okay, would you trust any other members of the Corporation?"

"Not a chance."

"There you go."

"...I think you're a _very_ bad man." Naomi said, frowning. "BUT...you make a good point. Here's the thing..." She looked left, then right. "I need to keep stringing them along until we reach the destination..." She began.

ELSEWHERE!

"I was not looking for…YOU." Remiel muttered, frowning darkly, eyes glittering. "I was trying to find you before…you became this…this THING before us."

"Well next time, don't open a Heavenly portal through time when I'm still present in the mortal realm. You know how hard I am to thoroughly kill." Samael added cheerfully.

"…by His grace…what HAPPENED to thee, Sam?" Remiel whispered tearfully.

That smile that had been almost plastered on Samael's face died and flip-flopped into a hateful scowl oozing malice and fury. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He snarled, bony wings extended, eyes glittering. "You…IDIOT! YA WANNA SEE YOUR OLD PAL, SAMMY? TAKE A LOOK!"

He spat on the ground and some acid burnt a large hole into the ground as an image appeared. There he was…Remiel was shaking hands with a light brown experiment with triangular ears hanging downwards from his head, who had two hands put on his hips, another two shaking Remiel's hands eagerly, the other hanging down as his beautiful turquoise eyes glittered happily and his wings stretched out, with every single feather glistening, long and of a different color, making him look cloaked in the rainbow. He gave Remiel the Kiss of Peace before taking off through the air, heading off towards the most awe-inspiring, beautiful light they'd all seen…where HE was…

Samael pointed right at this vision before them. "There I am, off to make the "Big Mistake"! There's YOU, clueless that in minutes…I was going to end up starting a chain of events that NOBODY could stop! I was going to destroy them and all their hypocrisy and make them finally understand!" Samael's voice became furious and mocking at the same time. "AND YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD STOP ME?" He hissed. "You could barely scratch my HEAD with that sword of yours…"

"Yes…which is why I stabbed you in the back after Mikhail punched you in the face, and held you still long enough to…" Remiel trailed off.

"Did you think you could really stop me from starting it?" Samael snarled. "THE GREATEST ANGELS IN CREATION COULDN'T KILL ME OFF! WHAT HOPE DID YOU HAVE?"

"I…don't…know…" Remiel whimpered.

"You have always been the most inexperienced and foolish. Angel of DREAMS." Samael snorted. "Head in the clouds! Always dreaming of the life after! Never bothering to see the trouble in paradise!" He said in a disparaging tone, waving his hand dismissively. "I wouldn't bother with me anyhow!" Samael laughed. "Jack's heading after Hanako and the others."

Heartwing and Charlie's eyes went wide. Remiel's narrowed intensely as Samael created a portal to the right. "Buh-bye." He remarked coldly, stepping inside.

"…we've got to go." The Justice said, placing his hands on his head. "I…I can see…"

He pointed to the far right and a glowing portal opened up. "THERE! We've gotta go through THAT one!"

"Wait…I want to go find my boyfriend. Where's Eclipse?" Esmeralda demanded to know of the Justice.

Staccato held his head and closed his eyes, then pointed to the lower left hand side of the large abyss they were in. "There." He said.

WOOP! She was gone. Heartwing's eyes went wide and he raced after as Charlie shrugged and raced after him.

MEANWHILE!

The Executioner fired off round after round at Two as Two continued to launch burning arrows from his bow, a dark glint in his amber eyes as Page swept through the air with Eclipse just up ahead, laughing evilly.

"C'mon choir boy, you've gotta be faster than that!" He called back, rushing underneath a flag that showed off the Vatican symbol and swirling around the main office Page used. Page swirled up after him, rising higher and higher into the sky before Eclipse quickly dove down, then raced across the lawn, weaving in and out of shrubs as Page took off after him. "Ha-ha-ha. Not bad."

"Why thank you, I have been practicing." Page said sarcastically.

"STAY STILL!" Eclipse snarled. "STAY STILL SO I CAN BLAST YOU!"

"Ugh." Page rolled his eyes. "Lord, there must be some purpose. But please, tell me, why is EVERYONE sporting a "Sharingan" nowadays?"

"I resent that!" Eclipse snapped, suddenly overtaking Page and grabbing his tail, then tossing him through the air to slam against the office walls, going clean through and out the other side, making a large Page-shaped hole. Page moaned and held his head, then shook the cobwebs out as he rushed through the air at Eclipse, playing a game of "Chicken" he did not intend to lose.

Two, meanwhile, had the bow knocked out of his hands and the Executioner grinned. "What do you think of THAT?" He asked.

Two just simply snapped his fingers and arrows rained down the clouds above. The Executioner's eyes widened and he raced backwards, leaping off the wall and rolling across the field, avoiding this assault as Two laughed. "Enjoy my powers over reality? I STEAL powers from others with contact. I'd touch YOU, but YOUR abilities appear to be the kind I could get at a NRA store!" He taunted.

He was rewarded with a knife to the arm. He snarled as he tugged it out. "You little!"

"Hmm. It's magic-repellent, but not good-old-fashioned-METAL-repellent? Heh…" The Executioner held up his guns. "I'm going to make you very, very scared of me…"

"You're not DEAD?" Pleakley exclaimed as Bartok grinned wryly.

"Yeah, uh, Samael's got REALLY freaky powers. He dug up his body and then shoved this thing into his mouth…" Frequency began to explain.

"That's, uh, good enough." Crystallene said, noticing Sari was whining more horridly.

"Horrid little autistic bitch." Bartok hissed, looking her over as Frequency's eyes narrowed behind the helmet he wore. "I got KILLED because of her, really. I'm glad to be back so I can…discipline her." He spoke up, cracking a whip that seemed to be made of living flame he drew from his belt as more skin flaked off his undead skin.

Frequency jumped atop the floating surfboard he'd brought. "Sorry to wipe you out like this." He apologized.

"Crystallene?" Jude said quickly.

Crystallene acted quickly. She held her paws up as the two rushed at her and they SLAMMED hard into a wall of crystals as the foursome all ran back to where the Executioner was firing off shotgun blasts at Two, who ducked and weaved through the air, tossing sizzling meteors from his hand back at the painted experiment, who hissed and jumped back to avoid them, whilst Eclipse and Page circled around in the air, with Eclipse dodging Page's sight, trying to keep from being taken over.

It was then that Frequency and Bartok were surprised by an appearance of people BEHIND them. They turned, seeing Heartwing, Charlie and Esmeralda appear, with Bartok grinning.

"Ah, look what we have here! The succubus, the Innocent and the Dragon! Now, do not get me wrong, I want revenge on ALL of Sari's friends to make her suffer as much as possible, and I'm happy to take it piece by piece."

He held up ANOTHER whip, madness glinting in his mechanical eye as Heartwing looked at Charlie, who looked at Senkoukura, who looked at Esmeralda, who held up a fist.

"Out of the way so I can save my boyfriend, or I MAKE you move." She snarled.

"You? Make ME move?" Bartok snickered. "How are you going to-"

She stripped her jacket off with one hand and struck a sexy pose, then WINKED at him. Bartok was suddenly aware of how…HOT he was…down there…and how beautiful and HUGE those…tracts of land were…and the way her eyes sparkled and…

He moaned and fell over, a nosebleed on his face as Frequency held up a coin and tossed it up and down in the air.

"You tryin' to save your boyfriend? Sue took him over." He asked. "It'll take a LOT to bring him back."

"I gotta TRY." Esmeralda insisted, clenching her fists.

"Stand ASIDE." Senkoukura added, bright blue eyes glittering dangerously.

Frequency grinned then and turned around, slamming his fist into the crystalline wall, breaking it into pieces. He then turned back and nodded, motioning for them to follow. They followed him out of the passageway and Pleakley and the others gasped at the sight of him.

"AHHH! He's gonna kill us all!" Pleakley yelled, whacking him over the head with his hand and only succeeding in hurting his three-fingered hand.

"Relax, P." Frequency insisted, noticing that Two was gaining the edge over the Executioner and getting closer as Eclipse spat out enormous black flames at Page, who ducked and dived out of the way to avoid them. "I'm here to help you out. Anybody who got props for love, I've got their back n' stuff, y'know?"

"…noooo…not really…" Pleakley admitted.

"He's saying he understands people who are in love and is going to help us." Charlie said. He noticed they were all, save for the stoned-out surfer, giving him a look. "I can just tell." He explained.

**BGM: Love Drunk, by Boys Like Girls**

Frequency nodded and his armor vanished, showing off his normal form. He clasped Esmeralda's hand in his paw and gave her a gentle look reminiscent of how Stitch would look at a sorrow-filled Lilo, a gentle, understanding look. "I will help you and love you as you loved me" it said.

"I'm gonna need you to follow my lead." He told her. "Do that…and we can bring your boyfriend back from the brink."

_**Top down in the summer sun…**_

_**the day we met was like a hit and run, and I…**_

_**Still taste it on my tongue!  
The sky was burnin' up like fireworks…**_

_**You make me want you oh-so-bad it hurts! **_

_**But girl…in case you haven't heaaard…  
**_  
Frequency held Esmeralda's hand and they twirled around. He held her up in the air as he went around and around on his balled feet and the area around them transformed into a swirling pink, orange and light red abyss as hearts flew around, whizzing by like stars.

_**I used to be lovedrunk!  
But now I'm hung over…  
I love you forever…  
Forever is over!  
We used to kiss all night…  
Now it's just a bar fight…  
So don't call me baby,  
Say hello and goodbye…  
**_  
Frequency then placed his paw on his chest and held the other up into the air as Esmeralda's eyes widened and a heart shot into her chest, filling her with warmth…she knew what to do…

_**Yes, just one thing…would make me saaaay…  
I used to be lovedrunk…  
But now I'm hung over…  
I'll love you foreveeeeer…  
And now it's oveeeeeeeeer!**_

Now she found herself looking up from the lawn at Page and Eclipse as they swirled around above.

_**Hot sweat and blurry eyes…**_

_**we're spinning on a roller coaster ride, the world…**_

_**stuck in black and white! **_

Frequency was leaning against the wall, still singing as Crystallene, Jude and Sari looked at him. Esmeralda clenched her fists as she saw The Executioner continue to dodge Two's attacks and Eclipse was steadily gaining on Page…

_**You drove me crazy every time we touched…**_

_**Now I'm so broken that I can't get up, oh girl…**_

_**You make me such a lush…**_

Esmeralda turned to the wall. She had an idea. She had to reach him! She raced up the wall as Frequency and her sang out the chorus together, with Frequency flipping a coin up in the air…

_**I used to be lovedrunk!  
But now I'm hung over…  
I love you forever…  
Forever is over!  
We used to kiss all night…  
Now it's just a bar fight…  
So don't call me baby,  
Say hello and goodbye…  
Yes, just one thing…would make me saaaay…  
I used to be lovedrunk…  
But now I'm hung over…  
I'll love you foreveeeeer…  
And now it's over!  
**_  
The Executioner managed to wing Two in the shoulder. He snarled and then tossed a capsule down that blinded the Executioner for a moment…long enough to escape. But Eclipse was still on Page's tail, grinning evilly.

"I'm gonna getcha, choir boy! And when I do…you're gonna find out what happens to all the good little boys who spend too much time in the Catholic Church's arms!"

"That is absolutely-" Page began before a blast of dark energy struck him, grabbing ahold of his tail as he was slammed into the tower.

_**All the time I wasted on you…**_

_**all the bullshit you put me through!  
Checkin' into rehab cuz everything that we had**_

_**Didn't mean a thing to yooooouuuu!**_

_**I used to be lovedrunk!  
But now I'm hung over…  
I love you foreveeeeeeer…  
And now it's oveeeeeeer!  
**_  
Eclipse grinned evilly as he held Page's neck in his claws. "Now you'll turn to OUR side, with a little…HELP…"

He opened his mouth and a dark, thick ooze began to seep out, trying to force it's way into Page's mouth…but the moment it touched his lips, BLAM! It exploded and dissipated into the air. Eclipse's eyes widened as Page placed his paw on his face…

It BURNT…

_**I used to be lovedrunk!  
But now I'm hung over…  
I love you forever…  
Forever is over!  
We used to kiss all night…  
Now it's just a bar fight…  
So don't call me baby,  
Say hello and goodbye…**_

Esmeralda clenched her fists as she saw her love go flying through the air, then he began to barrel down, his wings limp and useless, seemingly unconscious…

_**Oh, just one thing…would make me saaaay…  
I used to be lovedrunk…  
But now I'm hung over…  
I'll love you foreveeeeer…**_

_I WILL SAVE HIM. _She thought as she sang the last line out at the top of her lungs with Frequency, who had flipped the coin onto "Heads". And with that, a pair of beautiful red wings shot out from her shoulders, glittering brightly, and she launched herself through the air.

_**And now it's oveeeeeeeeer! **_

She wrapped her arms around Eclipse and he awoke with a kiss, seeing her looking into his eyes even as they plummeted to the ground below, to the lawn of the innermost part of the Vatican. She had saved him…she had come to help him…the one he loved…

The oozy, sickening feeling in his body was gone. A familiar warmth filled him as he hugged her back and they re-righted themselves in midair, spinning around slowly as they descended gently to the ground as if dancing. They landed softly between the others as Esmeralda's wings vanished and Frequency nodded in approval before vanishing back the way he'd come, dragging Bartok with him.

"Hold on, he just tried to kill you…shouldn't you finish him?" The Executioner wanted to know.

"He was just temporarily out of his mind." Page explained.

"I got better." Eclipse wisecracked.

"Well good…because you've probably got some information on the Corporation we could seriously use." Esmeralda admitted. "After some…private time." She added, caressing his cheek and looking deeply into his eyes.

He gave her a slightly shocked look. "You mean fornicate on holy ground?" He inquired.

For a moment she felt ashamed, but then she was on the ground and he was on top, whispering into her ear. "I _accept_."

"EWWWWW!" Heartwing remarked, covering his eyes as Charlie fainted dead away.

"Right out in the open?" Crystallene gasped out.

"…I'm…sure God has some purpose." Page remarked, unsure if he should be laughing madly or berating them.

…

…

…

…things had gotten harsh over in Tokyo. The enormous crowd of infected, doped-up monstrosities that Jack had called forth had begun to merge into one crowd. Right before everyone's eyes, giant hands formed…a body with glowing white eyes, hair stretched down long and thick, spiked tentacles rising up from the back and a twisted, clawed arm reaching out from an open mouth on the chest. The thing roared out from it's normal mouth as it beat it's hooves on the ground.

Chibisuke, still weakened, began launching bursts of burning white light from his clawed hands as Makani held his paws up, quickly jumping through the air and kicking the air rapidly with his feet, shooting out bullets of compressed air that struck the beast and made large indentations in it's pulsing, living skin as several dozen faces were obliterated and blood splurted out everywhere.

Jack laughed madly as Chibisuke and Makani continued to fight the thing, but it's wounds kept healing over and over. "You'll never be able to BEAT it!" He informed them as Hanako and Ranku, in front of the crowd of Tokyo citizens, glared at him and Staccato clenched his fists furiously. "You've no idea where the weak spot is, and even if you did, none of your tactics would work!" He explained, walking towards the crowd, holding up a submachine gun and looking them over the way a dog looks at a piece of meat. "I admi, you've gotten tougher, you MA members." He told Staccato. "But when meat gets too tough…it's gotta be TENDERIZED." He laughed cruelly.

"God will punish you!" One person said, a female rushing forward to strike him. He promptly kicked her hard and she flew into an alley, moaning.

"God will punish me?" Jack repeated. "You're so deluded." He spread out his arms, a sneer visible on his face. "You think GOD is going to save you? What you call Hope, a hope in a God that cares for you, is really just a child…a child screaming out for love!" Jack mocked Staccato, who's fingers clenched as he held up his plasma buster, murder in his eyes.

"BLASPHEMER!" He yelled. "How DARE you speak such cruelty!"

"Just stay still and die. You know, dying is so much easier than living. Or maybe…" Jack looked amused. "Maybe you believe that God will strike me down right now?"

**"I pray he does!"** Staccato snarled, fury dripping off every syllable.

Jack began laughing…but he stopped when an enormous shadow was cast over him…and smelled HIM.

He turned around to see Grey jumping up into the air, a sizable skyscraper ripped from the ground now in his clawed hands. He held it high, eyes alive with one desire…a desire soon fulfilled, much to Jack's horror as Chibisuke and Makani shoved the monstrous horror that had been attacking them back.

SCHA-THUDDA-SCHLUP!

Grey shot the skyscraper through the thing's head and it burst open with a horrid noise that sounded like somebody was squishing a pig with a giant rolling pin. The thing didn't even have the vocal chords to cry out as it hit the ground and died in misery, twitching and slowly dissolving away into black gunk. Jack stared in horror as Grey jumped from the top of the skyscraper to land right in front of him. The rest of the building sank into the ooze, and all of it dissipated as Grey grabbed Jack's throat.

"I…ought to kill you." He said coldly. "After what you did to your mother and father…and what you would have done to your SISTER…"

He raised his fist.

SCHWOOOMP.

He punched Jack in the stomach hard. Not too hard, but hard enough. Jack screamed as he felt his lower bones break and Grey tossed him to the ground, glaring down at him. As Jack began to vomit horribly, the three-fourths human, one fourth experimental being's gaze softened…and he turned Jack on his side so he would stop vomiting on himself. He shook his head sadly, then turned to the others.

"Let's go." He told them quietly, just before he noticed somebody was staggering out of the alley.

"Oh! That woman charged at Jack to stop him…are you alright?" Hanako called out.

Grey's eyes widened at the sight of this female experiment.

Gold/amber eyes. Delicate smile. Smooth, sleek body and a soft smell of farm fields coming from her peach and white-colored body. She had the tattoo of a butterfly lying on a mirror on her arm and triangular ears that were hanging down. She looked Grey over and her mouth hung open slightly before she nervously blushed and looked away at Jack.

"You, uh…kicked his can, huh?"

"That's one stomachache he won't soon forget." Grey promised.

She looked back at him and took his hand. "Eve. Pleasure to meet you, Mister…Pelekai, right? Grey Nicholas Pelekai?"

Grey blinked. "You know me?"

"Oh LOTS of people know about you. It's not EVERY experiment who can lift skyscrapers." She remarked, shrugging, then grinning happily. "Now…I'd like to treat you, since you DID save me life along with everyone else's. Uh…you don't drink anything TOO heavy, right? I'd prefer to get, like, an Icee…"

"I'd LOVE an Icee!" Grey remarked, eyes widening eagerly.

Chibisuke sighed and turned to the others, ignoring the sudden cheerfulness of Grey.

"We must alert the other members of the Major Arcana and all come together for a meeting with our allies. And it must be done NOW."

…

…

…

… "Das Konigin wird sorry dafur!" Jacques muttered angrily in his native tongue. He shook his fist in Naomi's direction as her car took off with Zoburg and White in it. "SIE WERDEN BEDAUREN DAS!" He roared out, stomping off. He needed a drink. Some very strong wine...

It was then that Non-Barty and Non-Patch were blasted across his vision. He turned to see King with a smoking palm looking over at him, glaring.

"Stand aside." He remarked, holding up his palms.

Jacques ran to the side, hiding behind a tree as King closed his eyes and a swirling mulitcolored light formed. The two children who were not children saw this and their eyes widened as they realized just WHAT he was forming. Barty, however, acted quickly.

"Stupefy!"

SCHOOOSH! A burning light rushed forward only to be absorbed into the rainbow light that had now formed in King's hands. He held it aloft as sparkles show out through the air, one of them landing in front of Jacques, who snatched it and looked it over in his paw.

Could it be?...

King shouted his own spell as Non-Barty waved his wand and was gone. Non-Patch however...

"DREAM!"

The swirling rainbow light erupted forth, surging in a many-helixed blast that struck through her body, not cutting into it so much as phasing through it, yet still obviously striking outside and within. A shockwave of power erupted from the spot as they were both encased in a glowing rainbow orb of light that rose into the air. Then white bursts of light shot out from one spot at a time before finally...

It exploded with the sound of a mighty bell ringing. Non-Patch hit the ground and panted heavily, blood oozing everywhere, looking up just in time to see the final part of the spell hit her...a gigantic golden bell anchored to a tether made of a thousand colors that quickly lifted the bell up, then SLAMMED into her.

THUCKA-CRAAAAACKKK!

King watched as her body shuddered...and then lay still. Seeing she couldn't move anymore, almost every bone in her body was broken, King approached her, pulling out a small vial of red liquid from a pocket within his shamanic outfit. He popped the cork off and quickly but gently eased it down his student's throat.

She coughed madly, then turned her head to the side, and a thick, black bug-like ooze shot out of her mouth. It squeaked in terror as King raised his claws, then rent it in pieces, making it dissipate into nothingness.

Patch opened her eyes as King held her cheek, smiling down in a caring fashion.

"You're alright." He told her gently.

She took his hand, coughing slightly. "I...I'm really...really thirsty..."

Smiling happily, King took out a small blue cup and filled it up with some hot water from a little canteen in his outfit...then took out his green tea mixture. In a few minutes, they were walking back to the others, sipping on the finest tea Patch had ever had.

Jacques looked over the small patch of light in his paws. All the others had faded into the ground. This one remained, hovering in his palm for a few more minutes before slowly sinking into his palm.

He felt a tingling sensation...

LATER!

They'd all headed back to Hawaii, post-haste. Now everyone stood around in the Hula School's dance hall as Sandy paced back and forth, Grendella holding her stomach, soon...so soon to give birth.

"If they want a war, we give them a war." Sandy said. "We're going to fight a little DIRTY. So we all know the plan?" He asked.

Nightwing nodded. His job was to take the place of his son in the Corporation...and to get Sue to completely trust him. He didn't like this though. "Yes, I'll do this. You can make me flirt with that sexy Irken, but you can't make me like it!"

"I can make you do anything I want." His wife Haley laughed, brushing her black hair back. He sighed.

"We will stay here and protect Grendella and Victoria." Darth, Pleakley, Senkoukura and Makani said, looking over at her, Victoria, Frank and Hogan.

"Green and I are going with Orion to the GFA headquarters to stop the assassination. If they know we know about their plans, they'll cancel the trip and Frequency won't get caught."

"Right, better to catch them in the act. It's too bad they're all so ridiculously rich and powerful, otherwise we could just, like, call the cops on them." Eve spoke up.

Everyone muttered out agreements of different kinds.

"I shall attempt to teach Yuna, Echo and Patch how to PROPERLY defend themselves." King spoke up. "But I require help, and so I turn to you, Alex."

Alex nodded in a respectful fashion. "It's my pleasure." He insisted.

"And what about Mehjen?" Joshua asked, jabbing his thumb at a closet. Mehjen was screaming uncontrollably, locked forever within his own mad world, believing he was burning alive, not knowing Joshua had tricked him by spilling not cooking oil, but dyed water onto the floor before him.

"We help him." Nick said simply, with a smile. "Junior?"

Junior held his paw up. The ring upon his finger formed a golden cup and he approached the closet, opening it up as Mehjen sat there in a chair, screaming. With a mental command, some sweet silver liquid appeared in Junior's cup. He tossed it at Mehjen's face and a good chunk of it slipped down his throat.

They all looked on as Mehjen blinked, rubbed his eyes, then stood up.

"I'm...cured." He said softly. Then he broke into a smile. "Oh I'm CURED! The nightmare's over! I can feel my mind coming back to me, I no longer cling to the comforting belief that the people I've killed will be my slaves in Paradise! I...oh..."

He immediately blinked and then bit his lip. "Oh...dear. I...killed a lot of people..." He hung his head then, shaking it. "You ought not to have done that. You should have killed me, the sins I've committed are..."

"Unforgivable." Nacht finished, looking like he believed it, despite his lack of belief in God.

Page gently took Mehjen's paw and shook his head. "No." He said gently. "There is no such thing as an unforgivable sin. God forgives anything and everything."

Mehjen looked at him with utter surprise, and then embraced him like a brother, openly weeping as Page patted him on the back.

"Mehjen, we need...your help." Nick said. "We need you to tell us all you know about the members of the Corporation and their plans."

Mehjen wiped his eyes and then sighed. "All right...I'll tell you."

MEANWHILE...

Rupert rubbed his eyes, gaping.

A cold, chilling wind was blowing ever-so-gently. There was dark, deep fog all around as he stood in the middle of a large valley, hills surrounding him on all sides. To the left a wooden, circular door with ornate designs out front creaked as it swung open and shut, and a cloudy, darkened sky above seemed to promise rain, but even though he'd been standing there for what seemed like hours, none was coming...

He took a few steps forward, looking around, hearing the faint laughter of some unknown thing that did not sound like a child, but the IDEA of a child, and not a good idea at all. He knew this place. He recognized the trees, the valley's hills, the river that was up ahead, no longer roaring, but eerily silent and still, and filled with murkiness that kept him from gazing at what was beneath.

"This can't possibly be Alass-Lorr. This can't possibly be my home." He whispered, clinging tightly to himself as fear struck him prostate to the ground. "This can't be Purgatory either..."

So then...

Where was he?


	25. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

_Sometimes I get the feeling that the odds are always, ALWAYS stacked against good._

_We are always going to endure the most terrible, awful of trials, sometimes for the cruelest of reasons. All we want to do is either see the ones we love safe, or to keep our home protected, or to stop people of incredibly cruel spirits from harming others._

_The saying goes "No good deed goes unpunished". But that's not entirely true. Because you see…we underdogs bet on ourselves. We know we have all the odds against us. And that means the payoff…_

_It's a real jackpot._

"Woof!"

Grey happily walked down the sidewalk, a big grin on his face. Since meeting up with Eve he had become a lot more cheerful and less angry and upset. Her cheerful personality was rubbing off on him, he was sure of it. As he headed into the ice cream store and ordered two waffle cones of mint chocolate chip, one for him and one for Eve, who was waiting at the park, he grinned and allowed his gumdrop-shaped nose to take the scent of the many flavors in…

A good sniff and he was back.

_"Let's see…how about…mint?" Grey asked as he held Ewa Lani's paw in his own clawed hand, careful not to scratch her. She nodded eagerly and licked her lips as Grey pointed up at the menu and ordered them waffle cones…chocolate-coated waffle cones._

_"Do you like your mate?" Grey laughed gently, nuzzling Ewa Lani's neck with his head, a purr in his throat._

_"Yes, I sure do!" She reassured him, nuzzling him back._

_"Woof!" He laughed happily as he handed her his cone. _

"Woof! Do you like mint chocolate chip?" Grey asked as he approached Eve and handed her her cone in the park. The two sat down on a bench as Eve's deeply beautiful eyes glittered and she beamed happily.

"Yep! I really like it. I really like YOU too." She added quietly, nervously, tracing a circle in the ground with her foot. Smiling, Grey nuzzled he neck, enjoying the warmth her furry body gave him in return, feeling her purr tickle him.

…

…

…

…Rupert took a few steps forward on the grass, feeling it slowly tickle his feet. The fog surrounded him, almost seemed to fill his very self, wanting to permeate every orifice of his body. There was no sound…

No sound. Very wrong. No birds. No insects. No people. No _NOTHING_.

This was not good, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel thought, folding his arms and frowning deeply. This wasn't Purgatory, he knew that for sure. Purgatory had ORDER. Furthermore, it was a beautiful place. Slightly haunting at times, but beautiful to ensure that those within it would continue trying. Nobody would want to keep moving forward in the middle of a dark, deep forest. But to continue travelling through a beautiful hallway on a lush red carpet as stained glass windows of crystal poured light onto glass pews…that was something that made you feel…welcome.

This did not make him feel welcome, not even if he was in his old neighborhood, at his home planet.

Jennet was the Muridean name for it. It meant, quite simply, "Burrow". Home. The GFA did not usually accept this name and simply called it Muridea. They called the Murideans something else too, usually, making Rupert smile grimly as he thought out loud to try and get his mind off how frightened he felt.

"And so folks, we begin a new round of "Who had the worst childhood"? Today in comparison I offer up Jumba, who's parents were domineering, horrid people who liked to point how fat he was and who had an old brother who's best "present" at Hanukah was a punch to the face. And now for ME. One of my childhood nicknames was "Chewy". Along with "Tangy, but Robust"!"

He laughed grimly, noticing something up ahead: a sign. Right ahead in front of a hill that had another circular door in it. These kinds of houses were all over his country. You walked up and placed your paw on an identification pad hidden in the hill and you'd be let in if you were a member of the household or invited in by one such member. Then you'd be taken down under the hill to where the TRUE home was, carried across the hills to other regions of the valley. There were underground tunnels all over the place…the Catacombs of Alass-Lorr. If one ever got LOST down in there, you would not make it long. Eventually a moving home would come and you would be squashed and dragged along and-

The sign read something mocking and morbid. **"If you want to see your precious neighbors again, then you should just DIE. But you might be heading to a different place than THEY did, HAMSTERVIEL…"**

The way it was written in dark black marker…there were small bumps in the writing. Hammy understood why. Somebody had been writing this and had been laughing uncontrollably at the message they were writing-

A laugh. An unmistakable laugh. High, gay, quick. He turned his head and saw somebody in the open window.

She had a set of green eyes and a body that was quite…nice. Even by non-Muridean standards, you would think her "huggable", very much so, or, in the words of more predatory types, somebody who looked like they fit the bill for "taste great, less filling". She laughed again and ducked back into the house, vanishing, her laughter slowly fading as the house elevator sank down and rushed away.

Esme Celeste von Hamsterviel. His sister. Black Marketeer, rebellious against their parents, constantly doting on her brothers. She'd taken them on all sorts of trips, especially her black market ones. What she didn't end up selling at the markets she'd toss off trains to the poor in a mixture of devilish glee at doing something that would drive her parents made and small, warm feeling at doing something that made people cheer for her.

Attention and love, the biggest weakness of the Hamsterviel line, Rupert thought. It was what they always seemed to crave…

His sensitive ears picked up the approach of the elevator. He placed his hand on where he knew to be the ID pad, years of experience from childhood coming back to life, summers spent relaxing, rolling down on his side like a barrel as he went down the hills…

The door opened and he was greeted with the sight of a small, homely room. It had a few pictures on the wall of various Muridean families, a couple landscapes…there. One of the owner…one of his Uncle, Charles. Brown fur. Green eyes. Ponytail…

Hammy approached it and poked the eyes. The picture slid up, revealing a keypad and a map to the side of the pad. Enter in a destination…

His only lead was his sister and where SHE would go. He decided to go for somewhere all-too-familiar to both of them…the old building that was their parent's, CEOs and masters of the Muridean marketplace.

The elevator took off.

…

…

…

…over by Jerusalem, Jacques frowned as he knocked the wrench into his palm, looking over the jeep that he had to take back to the dimensional portal that would return them to HQ. Zoburg was late…fine. Jacques hoped he'd gotten his car stuck in a ditch. Maybe a lion had decided to come along and eat him up. Go Simba.

Jumping underneath the jeep, Jacques furiously worked the wrench as a hammer, a small welding tool and a screwdriver lay to his far right. He quickly twisted the wiring the way he wanted, added a tweaking touch with the screwdriver, then welded shut a hole that had been knocked open in the gas pipe.

Frowning as the car still didn't turn on, Jacques grabbed the wrench and then went to town on the jeep, banging and striking it all over. With a final THA-THONKA-CRUNK, it started up as Jacques smirked. "Ha. Just needed some toughly tough love." He remarked.

"Move…over.."

Jacques looked to the right to see that Zoburg was SOAKING wet and sizzling horribly. There was raw hatred in his eyes and he was clenching his fists tightly as he approached the jeep.

"Where's Naomi?" Jacques inquired.

"She…TRICKED…me." Zoburg snarled. "She shot the gun's ammunition into the clouds. They had some…salt-like catalyst. It sparked a rainstorm on the spot. She shoved me out of the car and took off. I was soaked and burnt all over and I've been walking for three hours to get here." Zoburg hissed. "She wasted our resources and time just so she could wave goodbye cheekily to me from her car as the rain sizzled my flesh!"

Jacques resisted the urge to say "Sounds like time well spent" and nodded sympathetically. "Hateful bitch." He lied, really wishing he could kiss her paw right then and there.

"Yes, why can't you be more supportive of me like this ALL the time?" Zoburg spoke up quietly.

"Aw, don't-I…I don't MEAN it!" Jacques insisted gently, holding up his paws.

"Anyhow, let's get going." Zoburg remarked, getting into the jeep. "Good thing THIS didn't get soaked." He added, holding up a folder. Jacques held it in his paws, frowning a little.

"This is…what?"

"My plans for the girl." Zoburg explained. "I've detailed everything."

Jacques opened up the folder and began to look through it as Zoburg focused only on driving. It was a good thing too, because if he had looked at Jacques even just ONCE during the short time it took for them to drive from where the jeep had been to where the dimensional portal was, then he would have seen the utterly horrified look on Jacques's face that flashed across his features. The depth to which Zoburg planned to go to in terms of cruelty towards the girl was…

Beyond description.

Simply beyond description. Jacques wouldn't be able to do justice to how sick the plan was. How…**EVIL**.

Zoburg meanwhile, had turned his head and now saw Jacques looked sick, the folder put away. "If you're going to puke, it shall not be in MY car." He said, picking Jacques up and tossing him out of the still-moving jeep, laughing as he took off. Jacques muttered hatefully and dusted himself off, then began walking.

Soon enough he had reached a large hill. He began to walk up it, hearing many voices on the other side. He peeked his head over and gaped at the sight.

Naomi was standing by White, and all around them were various experiments, people and aliens. All of them, Jacques could guess, were inhabitants of Jerusalem, which appeared abandoned at the moment. He wondered what was going on as the pink dot from "Dream" hovered around his tail, calmly waiting.

"Well?" Naomi inquired, looking confused. "You said you had to evacuate everyone out of the city, that it was a matter of the most deadly importance."

"Oh yes." White agreed. Jacques super-good hearing picked up and he heard something. It sounded like…

He looked up and soon saw what the sound was coming from. _OH SCHISSE!_

"You see, the thing is, Jerusalem is about to be destroyed." White said. "I couldn't just let you all get squished." He added, holding up his palms.

"How?" Naomi asked. "A bomb?" She inquired. "Or is the Corporation bombing us?"

White shook his head. "Nope. I'm crashing a giant Irken "Dreadnought" class cruiser into the city."

Naomi's mouth hung open slightly. She looked like she'd been hit in the face. A moment later it came down, hulking, huge, burning slightly from the atmospheric change, a dark purple and red mass of machinery that SLAMMED into Jerusalem with the largest CRUDDA-CRASH that Jacques had ever heard, sending an enormous dust cloud towards them all that was roughly the side of a tsunami wave. Jacques covered his head as it swept over his head and when it, at long last, passed over, he looked up.

White was already on the horizon, his laughter echoing in the air as a pale, furious Naomi stared at the horrible wreckage of Jerusalem as people tore their clothes, wailing and sobbing, others cursing visibly, others simply staring, unable to believe, it could not BE, it couldn't!

"…you…SON…OF…A…" Naomi finally managed to get out, tugging on her long antennae.

"Oh my." Jacques thought out loud. "How are they going to rebuild THAT? A pity they've got no-"

SCWHOOSH! The pink orb circling his tail shot forward across the heads of all the people below him, like a comet. Naomi squeaked in surprise, turning her head to see Jacques gaping at the sight, one paw held up, pointing at the sight…

The walls were being brought back up, brick by brick. Wood and wall were being remolded, stone cracks were vanishing, filled back up. Wells that had been broken were now mended, halls that had been torn down were erected. Things were becoming, quite simply, fixed.

"Oh…MY…" Naomi gasped as she looked the scene over. At last, it was finished…one by one the people filed in, unable to believe their eyes. Jerusalem looked…as good as new. Even the damaged Wailing Wall was…

People then turned to Jacques as she walked towards what he had subconsciously produced, the pink orb whizzing around him. Naomi then got on her knees and bowed.

"You rebuilt this city I love. I will not forget this." She said, getting back up. "I've got IMMENSE pull...let me ask you, how can I ever repay you?"

Many ideas came to Jacques as he looked her over. He could ask for money. For a "favor". For a "favor favor", Naomi WAS beautiful and it had been ages since he'd last touched a woman. But something else came to mind.

"…my brother has a son. His name is Junior von Hamsterviel." Jacques said. "If you are to ever meet him, I would like you treat him with the utmost respect and kindness. He…has potential. Potential to be someone very great and…"

He almost said it, but he just trailed off, looking to the side nervously, twirling one foot paw in the ground. Naomi nodded as the others around him bowed respectfully or nodded. "I will not forget." She insisted. "You have my word. I will also help escort you to wherever you'd like."

"Well, I DO need to get to the airport. I must take a plane to France, to Paris…"

He had almost said it. Almost.

_Very great and very good…_

She led him inside the city. They began to head towards the airport, unaware that what had sunk into the ground beneath the city, caused by the crashing of the ship, was now slowly spreading a mist that was seeping up from the dusty ground…

…

…

…

…Grey and Eve sat on the beach now, watching the gulls fly through the air as a wind blew their fur, cooling them. Grey noticed Eve was…antsy. She was fidgeting, rocking back and forth. It reminded him of how his dad would jiggle his leg when he was sitting at a table, or fiddle with his hands, fingers intertwining over and over. He recalled occasionally telling his dad "DAAAAD! Stop being autistic!"

But he knew how to calm her down. He patted her on the arm and she immediately stopped and sighed happily.

_"Scratch lightly, okay? I got a bad itch, but don't scratch too deep." Ewa Lani told him as they sat underneath a tree, his green/black eyes gazing into hers as she nervously blushed. He nodded and held his claws up, gently scratching her head, making her hum happily, her tail wagging. A big grin spread over her face and she soon gently laid her head in his lap._

_The sweet scent of her body was now far closer than it had before. He kept scratching until at last she faded into sleep and he gently stroked her head, looking down at her the way one looks upon the most precious of things…_

"Scratch lightly, with the claw tips." Eve requested gently. "On my back, okay?"

Grey nodded and carefully held his claws up, lightly scratching with his claws. Up and down, up and down, caressing. She shuddered with pleasure and smiled, leaning against him as he smiled back at her, seeing her fall gently into sleep. Soon he was stroking her hair as she slept against his shoulder.

…

…

…

…Green, Junior and Orion looked around the enormous hallway of the Galactic Federal Alliance. Unlike Star Command, which had green, purple and white as a paint job, the GFA had blue and gold everywhere intermixed with silver. The whole place looked unmistakably regal and expensive above all…

There were flagpoles, long and proudly displaying every single Senatorial face that belonged on the Council for the GFA. Some of the faces were looking especially haughty and proud, others simply smiled, a few scowled as if the pictures had been taken not inside of a specially-designated office, but the shower.

Huge light fixtures hung from the top as they walked along the bridge-like hallway of the GFA towards an enormous golden set of double doors. At the front and to the right was a desk with a female secretary sitting there. She looked remarkably beautiful, above all her eyes were filled with life and warmth.

Upon seeing Orion, she dropped the phone from her paws and immediately beamed, then jumped over the desk and GLOMPED him on the spot.

"Oh, it's good to see you too, Sara!" Orion said happily, hugging her tightly. "Green, Junior, I would like for all of you to meet my wife, Sara."

Sara let go of Orion and bowed. "A pleasure." She said. "I'm Head Secretary for Grand Councilman Rueben. How may I be of service to you and my sweetie-poo?"

Orion nervously blushed at this nickname. "Sweetie-poo"?" Green snickered.

"Uh, listen honeybunches, we'd like to see the big man himself." Orion told Sara.

"Sure thing. But first, gimme some sugar, sugar!" Sara laughed, kissing Orion full on the lips.

"Hold on, Hot-Lips, No tongue before-MMMMM…nebbah mibe…" He mumbled out, kissing her passionately back.

"_Honeybunches? Sugar? Hot-Lips?_" Green wondered.

"Sure you guys can go in." Sara said once Orion and she had finished. She led them in through the large golden doors and there were greeted by the sight of Rueben sitting on a large throne, looking over a bunch of papers, one pen held in his paw. The lovable yellow, big-nosed oaf hadn't changed much, save for some graying hair on his brown-tipped antennae and his face was slightly scraggly.

"Alright, yes, no…no, none of that…but we'll need THAT…and some of these."

"Sandwich ingredients?" Sara asked, grinning visibly.

Rueben didn't look up yet. "Yep! We've got that big costume ball comin' up tomorrow and…wait…" He sniffed the air, then turned from his papers ot actually look at who was with Sara. "Well I'll be darned. Orion! And you brought two friends!"

Rueben put the papers down and hopped down a small set of stairs over to them. He took Green and Junior's hand, shaking them thoroughly. "I recognize YOU, even though the last time I saw you, I could hold you in one arm!" He told Junior, laughing. "Your pops, your mum, how they doin', Junior?"

"They're all right." Junior said, nodding. "This is Green." He told Rueben.

Rueben looked her over. "…you're definitely Grey's kid." He decided. "The way your hair is and your eyes…who's your mom?"

"Kila." Green explained, nodding.

"KILA?" Rueben's eyes went wide. "Oh why didn't you say so? Any friend of hers is a friend of mine." He told her. "She was always one of the boys to me." He added, grinning broadly.

"Yeah, I know." Green added. "She talked a lot about you. Said you always smelled of mayo. I can see she was right." She laughed.

"Hey, now I smell like royalty." Rueben added. "…with mayo on top." He sniggered. "Seriously though, what can I do to help you? But be quick, I've only got twenty minutes before I have to get moving on a project. The GFA's computers have been experiencing static problems and-"

"We're here to warn you about an assassination attempt." Junior explained. "There's this person named Frequency, he's extremely dangerous and he's coming after you. We wanted to warn you in person so nobody could intercept the message somehow."

"Fair 'nuff." Rueben admitted, nodding as he folded his arms. "Let me guess, he's a member of this "Corporation" I've been hearin' 'bout?"

"Yeah." Green agreed. "And-"

BEEEEOOOOOOO…

The lights went out all over GFA HQ before an emergency generator kicked on 30 seconds later. Green's eyes narrowed as she clenched her fists. "And he's obviously now snuck into the building…"

…

…

…

…Rupert frowned as the elevator's walls began to be stripped away. Soon only wire mesh remained to cover the entire thing and keep it still. Yet…he felt it wouldn't give into a free fall. It was as if something was…watching him.

And he soon saw what exactly WAS watching him. It was a black thing with dark eyes…it's vague form was familiar…oddly, frighteningly familiar. He couldn't put a name on it. He ought to, he knew THAT, but…

The thing cackled and then vanished from sight as a clanking noise told him he was nearing the end of the elevator shaft. A moment later it stopped, the door opening.

He walked outside of the elevator, deciding to change his clothes. He focused, and his dark robes swirled around him, his scythe appearing in his paws. He had reason to be unnerved by his surroundings, reason to be wary…he now found himself within a special hallway of E.G.O, the Evil Genius Organization. There were pictures on the walls of various evil geniuses, among them himself, Jacques, Jumba, even White, for some frightening reason. Several of them had deep gouge marks in their pictures which showed that they had tried to sell out EGO and thus paid the price…

There was a doorway…it ought to lead into the cafeteria, this he knew. The Hallway of Fame and Shame had always led to the cafeteria. Memory clouded his vision as he watched it all play out before him, literally reliving his past…

…"Yes, it is TRUE that I am on the council to decide who is going to be the next Scion!" Rupert announced, folding his arms as he addressed the people in the hall, who all looked him over. "It is ALSO true that my favors cannot be BOUGHT, COERCED, OR…or…"

He turned his head, sniffing the air and noticing that Mortlegax was holding up something beautifully-scented and grinning.

"Is…that…schnitzel?" Rupert spoke quietly.

"It IS, just like you're ALWAYS talking about…" Mortlegax whispered slyly.

"Well…um…er, uh…" Rupert nervously gulped. "I…could…put in a good word or two for you…"

As he stuffed his face full of schnitzel, he grinned inwardly. Let the extortion begin!...

Opening the door, he found himself in an enormous hall that had dozens of loooong tables and benches placed for others to sit AT said tables. Food that had, at some point, been deliciously edible were now rotten and covered in mold and what looked like pond scum was flies swirled overhead. The tapestries on the walls that showed off colors of EGO: purple, red, blue, darkest black and green…all of them representative of traits that EGO admired: royal, pure blood, a desire for revenge, creative genius, cruelty and, above all, a desire to be the absolute best.

There, huddling in the corner, was Jenkins Makaia, He was holding his face in his hands, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Jay?" Rupert spoke softly, surprised, putting the scythe away. It retracted into a small wooden ball and he put it in his robe's pocket as he approached Jay, realizing that the ceiling seemed too low…that the criss-crossing beams above his head made of strong metal were…creaking slightly. How odd.

"He…he doesn't like this." Jay whispered. "Doesn't like it one bit. He…hasn't forgotten, hasn't forgotten how you took HER for your bride…hasn't forgotten how you opposed him before…"

"Jay, what is going on? Why are you here in Purgatory? Who is "he"?" Rupert asked.

"You KNOM wh-who!" Jay shouted, pointing at Rupert with a shaking claw. "You know goddamn well who! You-"

He looked up, and screamed in horror, claws digging into the wall as his eyes widened in fear. Rupert looked up and instantly regretted it…it was the black thing. It looked like Leroy, only with black fur and teeth and paws stained with blood.

"Hooooowwww I hate you!" The thing muttered venomously. It was clinging to the criss-crossing beams above them the way a monkey might cling to the grills of it's cage. It looked down with utter hatred in it's soulless eyes, it's four arms gripping the beams tightly. "Stupid rat…you're so weak! Marry MY daughter, WILL YOU?"

SLAM! A fist shot through and Rupert barely dodged as the thing snarled again. "INTERFERE WITH **MY** PLANS FOR KILLING STITCH, HUH?"

SHUDDA-BOOM! Another fist came down. Rupert jumped to the side this time as the black thing snarled again, some spit flying and sizzling holes in the floor. "STAND **STILL** YOU LITTLE RAT, LET ME TURN YOU INTO A **THROW RUG!**"

Rupert rushed around the dining hall as Jenkins screamed and cowered in the corner. He quickly took out the small wooden ball that was in his pocket and it stretched out to form his scythe once more. He jumped over a table whose contents went flying as the thing flung another punch at him. The food splattered on the ground and began to dissolve into black tar that formed bugs, which skittered around before rushing at Rupert.

Rupert sliced and slashed them away, barely managing to roll out of the way of the horrible fist of the black thing as it cackled. "You know so little…you may think you're a prince and can handle me, but a Kaiser outranks a prince!"

He then spat out a wad of acidic spit that burnt another hole in the ground. Rupert jumped up through the air and sliced at one of the hands that was gripped around the roof beams. The black thing yelled horridly and held it's paw and it's features distorted for a second before it returned to normal and kept punching at Rupert, crooning foul words filled with venom at the Muridean…

EXCEPT, Rupert noticed, when his prey got near Jenkins. Realizing this was the answer, Rupert jumped through the air and held his scythe blade up to Jay's neck as Jay's eyes shut tight in horror.

"Try anything and I give your son a new way to breathe: across his NECK." Rupert snarled.

The black thing then howled furiously and it changed fully…an image imposed itself in front of Rupert's vision of the thing, and soon the black thing had landed in front of him, covered in beautiful robes, wearing many rings, a papal tiara and a furious glare on it's face.

"You…little…**WRETCH!**" The thing hissed, taking a step back and pointing with a ringed claw digit. "I will tear your eyes open for this…"

"No…you won't." Rupert said softly, placing his scythe more deeper into Jay's neck, making him whimper. "I am perfectly willing to kill him so as to ensure that I may continue to find the ones I came for. I may feel remorse for it later, but it will still be done." He went on.

The black thing's eyes now widened and it turned pale. Not with horror or fear or shock, but with rage. It could, soon, not bear to simply stare at him, and finally lunged forward.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG! Now it was a deadly dance as Rupert forced the thing back from Jay as much as possible, striking and slashing with his scythe. The black thing cackled horridly and continued to strike at Rupert with it's ringed claws as Jay clung back, looking upon the black thing with a mixture of fear and admiration.

"You little pest." The thing finally hissed. "I'll get you later!" With that, it twirled it's cape, and then was gone in a flash of dark purple light. Hamsterviel folded his arms and looked behind him…

Jay had run off. He sighed. That boy ought to have known better. Running off in a place like THIS?

…

…

…

…Lilo's room at the HQ of the Corporation, a temporary home which, out of perhaps some tiny form of pity, Azazel had fixed up. He was fluffing up the pillow of her bed, and had painted a lovely shade of light green onto the walls, including making little flower decals in the walls like on her long red t-shirt. He smiled at the youthful teenage girl and put the pillow down.

"There! Now it's a bit more like home, right?" He asked politely. He was being awfully nice for somebody who was not merely a member of the Corporation, but a demonic entity/fallen angel reborn.

"Er…mahalo." Lilo said politely, nodding her head.

"I, uh…I'm sorry about…coming off a bit too strongly earlier to your friend the dragon. I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. I keep doing that, being too quick to judge. I AM trying to work on it." He admitted nervously. He seemed like a schoolboy seeking reassurance.

Jacques then appeared in the doorway. He was not in his right mind, Lilo could feel horror coming off of him, horror, disgust and nervousness. He took a deep breath and spoke up.

"I need to address Ms. Pelekai personally about her power." He told Azazel.

Azazel nodded firmly and left the room as Jacques closed the door and folded his arms, then snapped his "fingers". "The cameras are temporarily playing a feed that will repeat to the main camera room and the audio sensors in here are now disabled. I helped BUILD all of the Corporation HQs, I know secrets about these places the others know nothing of. But that is not important."

Jacques motioned for Lilo to sit on her bed and as she did so he placed his paws together and nervously bit his lip. "You helped my brother. A Hamsterviel does not forget compassion so easily. We pay our debts back and reward our helpers…though I wish I could give you a much better reward than…"

He sighed deeply. "Zoburg will turn you into something worse than Barty. Worse than what Patch became. To transform _Zoe_ into _Void_, your body and spirit must be heavily broken. He'll torture you. He'll break you. He'll ravage you in ways I cannot even…what 561 would have done to you all those years ago, it would have been simply the TIP of the iceberg. I WISH I could say that is all Zoburg will have him do now that he is working for us, I wish that...that…"

He didn't finish, but Lilo found her eyes widening when she realized the implications. She felt a sob well up.

"It might very well BE a practical use for your power, but the manner in which he is going about it is _disgusting._ So…I offer you this, little girl." Jacques spoke softly.

He handed Lilo a small vial. It had a crystalline/green hue to it as he continued. "One sip of this and you will perish quickly and without pain. You can live…and suffer…or die peacefully, ensuring that your power is not used to hurt your precious family. It is your choice."

He then gave what might have been an attempt at a respectful nod, and left the room quickly as Lilo looked the vial over.

They'd been almost…kind words from him. He was trying to be merciful, he was afraid of being caught by the Corporation but neither did he really want her to suffer, or to see what she endured. He was cowardly, she understood that, and yet offering her this was…rather brave.

She looked the vial over. She knew she could NOT let them turn her power to evil. She COULDN'T. But…she was afraid of death, of dying and leaving her family all alone. What if it didn't kill her right away and they brought her back? What if Azazel used his power to…

She pocketed it. Just in case an opportunity came, she'd hold onto it. She hoped though she would not need to use it.

…

…

…

…Echo and Yuna and Alex nervously grimaced as a very, very, VERY long and thick anaconda with green and brown scales spanked the CRAP out of a tiger-like, youthful experiment who had been forced to drop a katana from his paws.

"THIS-IS-WHAT-YOU-GET-FOR-FUCKING-AROUND-WITH-YAKUZA-GO-HOME-TO-YOUR-MOTHER!" The anaconda roared out.

It then pulled the tiger, stretching it the way you'd stretch a rubber band, and shot the experiment out of the open door. The poor thing landed in a dumpster across the way as the anaconda spiraled around and around, shrinking and changing before their eyes into a familiar, white-robed form. King then stood up, katana in his black claws, placing it back in it's case.

"They always send people to steal weapons from my dojo here." He told them. "I'm glad you came to the Mobian gate on such short notice, we have little time to train."

"That happens often?" Alex asked.

"Yes, the weapons here are enchanted, valuable." King went on. "Mafia, KGB, CIA, Yakuza, all sorts of organizations go for the weapons here. Not all of them try to STEAL, but I send them away all the same. Cobra Bubbles wanted THIS once." He said, holding up the necklace around his neck. "Thinking it was magical. It IS, but not in the way he thinks."

"What's it do?"

King took out an apple…two, actually. He held them before Yuna and Echo as Patch sat on a bench nearby, looking interested.

"I did this for Patch…I now do it for you. Will you become the Receivers of my Wisdom? Knowledge is an important tool of any scientist and magician and must be properly used. Will you accept my secret teachings and swear only to pass them on if I ask it of you? And to not use them improperly or for cruelty?"

"We promise." They both said.

"Bite." He told them offering the apples.

They bit into them, and they felt a light static shock fill their bodies, then a beautiful, sweet warmth as…a veil lifted from them. That was what if felt like, things seemed…clearer, like they had been looking into darkness before and had walked back into a light room.

King held the apples up and they transformed into crystalline orbs, just like the ones he wore in a necklace around him now. He placed them into the necklace and it grew larger. "They now contain memories of you and your selves. I will always remember you, my trusted students. If you abuse the knowledge I give you, I will remove the ball that represents you. I've had to do so…more times than I would like to talk about." He added quietly.

"What will you teach us?" Yuna asked.

"Ah, now THAT…is the question." King laughed. "I can teach you to bewitch the soul and ensare the mind and heart. I can have you shoot fire across fields and summon tsunamis. But I'll start you off with…different techniques. And I warn you, my methods can be…unorthodox." He added softly.

"We're ready." Echo insisted. "TOTALLY ready."

"We will see, younglings." King spoke softly. "We will see."


	26. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

_Two weeks had passed since our fight with Jack at Toyko. Things had occurred that none of us truly expected…_

_For one, strange mist began to emerge from Jerusalem, where Naomi was hanging around. Also, this same mist was beginning to spread through GFA HQ, giving Frequency a way to sneak around._

_In Kokaua Town, that same mist began to seep out from the sewers, ounce by ounce, as Jack stayed hidden, healing his wounds._

_And Grey, meanwhile, had met up with Eve, an experiment who seemed to say all the right things and who was given everything she asked of him…_

"I can't BELIEVE you can do this!" Eve laughed as she clung to Grey, who's claws dug into the mountainside as he slowly but surely made his way up the almost 90 degree incline to the sloped top beyond. "So how's the view from up here?"

"It's always spectacular." Grey told Eve. "I told Kila a lot about this place, how I could reach places a lot of flying types couldn't because the spots were underground, and how I could go where the diggers couldn't since so many of them get dizzy going too far up. She really liked my descriptions of THIS view…"

And there they were. Grey heaved her up to the top as she looked out over the island of Niihau. The beautiful flowered trees of the island swayed back and forth in perfect rhythm to the wind, making the entire island look like a patchwork quilt of a thousand different colors that was being blown gently in a breeze. Birds of red and yellow and blue feathers soared overhead as Grey gently wrapped one arm around Eve, who took it all in with awe as the sea splashed against the beaches of Niihau.

"This is…this is just…"

"It's beautiful, I know." Grey said.

"You're beautiful." Eve told him, reaching up and gently holding his cheeks. "You're kind, you're strong, you're smart, and you're cute too!" She nuzzled his cheek. "And your eyes, I really like your-"

_"You know…" Kila told Grey as she looked him over. "It's too bad I can't see you in anything but grayscale."_

_"Ah, I'm all shades of grey anyhow except for my hair and eyes and claws." Grey insisted as he put the finishing touches on the small dimensional portal he'd been working on at Kila's behest. It would transport items from the fridges on different levels of Star Command to her lab and help her steal other people's food, heh-heh. ;)_

_Kila then took a deep breath and popped a pill into her mouth. She shuddered slightly before opening her eyes again and walking forward, looking him over._

_"Your eyes." She said. "They're really nice." She told him. "Green and gentle."_

_Grey blinked. "You…I thought you can't-"_

_She shuddered again and she looked back up at him, then held up a small box. It read "Momentary Spectrum Restore Capsule". "It allows for ten seconds of being able to see in color. I use them for emergencies. My own invention!" She said proudly. "I'm trying to work on a more long-term-solution…" She turned around and headed over to a bench, holding up a chart. "One day I'll create a cure for grayscale eyesight and everyone like me will be able to see in glorious color for all their lives. Cool stuff, huh?"_

_"Hell yeah!" Grey agreed, grinning broadly._

_"She likes my eeeeeeyes!" He thought to himself as he left the lab that day._

"You like my eyes?" Grey asked Eve. "Eve, thank you."

She blushed. "Well, my real name is Eva, but I prefer "Eve". It sounds a bit…fancier. Do I really look like an Eva?"

"I guess not." Grey laughed, nuzzling his nose to hers as her peachy body giggled at the tickling.

…

…

…

…Sue was gently rubbed by Nightwing as he caressed the back of her shoulders lovingly, serving his "Mistress". "Oh yeaaaah…that's goooood." She said. "Oh, right there, right there…aaaaahhhh…" She let out a long, happy sigh. "First that wonderful knews about Tokyo being shrouded in mist and now one of your famous backrubs! Can this day get better?"

"Well…" Nightwing leaned in to whisper in her "ear". "That's up to YOU, my beautiful mistress."

He then kissed her on the cheek and she smiled. "I've never had a dragon kiss me. I like it. It's tingly." She then gently leaned forward and trailed her gloved, clawed left hand down his chest. "Though THIS is what I'd really like to touch…" She whispered lustfully as he drew closer. But before they could do it, the door to Sue's room was knocked upon.

"Oh great. Two is here. Help me put my clothes back on." Sue said. Nightwing carefully dressed his mistress as Two entered the room, frowning as Miyu stood by his side, along with Lilo, in handcuffs.

"Why did you ask me to bring HER along?" He asked, jabbing his thumb at Miyu. "I could understand Lilo, but…"

"I want her to understand what we're…willing to do to break her." Sue explained. "Lilo, do you know HOW the Minor Arcana was formed?" She said in her sweet voice dripping with venomous honey. "How the…application process is undertaken?"

Lilo said nothing. Her dark brown eyes looked Sue's pink, soulless ones over. There was no true gentleness to them, she only simulated kindness to allure others into loving her, Nick had told her this over and over again.

"Well, in exchange for very, VERY large amounts of power and the ability to remain eternally young…you've got to kill family. Close family. One member, to be precise." Sue went on.

Lilo then felt a sick, horrid feeling rise in her, bile whooshing up. She almost vomited as Two spoke up.

"Samael approached me and told me that if I wanted into the Minor Arcana…if I wanted the ability to be immune to control and to control reality, I'd have to kill a family member."

"No, please tell me you didn't…didn't kill them…" Lilo spoke up softly. "Kila, Zim, you…you didn't?" She whispered.

"No, of course I couldn't, I…I love my parents." Two stammered. "I…I chose Green, my sister from the past." He went on.

Lilo frowned. Something seemed wrong about this whole thing. "If Kila and Zim ARE your parents, the ones I know so well, then they would have been horrified at the idea of you working for the person who made them suffer so much! They wouldn't have raised you to be so cruel!"

"They didn't raise me to be cruel, but we never could stay in one place long…do you know how some kids move around city after city, state after state, never really making friends, or worse, constantly leaving the friends they DO have?" Two whispered, the antennae and hair upon his head turning stiff as his golden/amber eyes got steely and seemed to flash like fire. "For me…it was TEN TIMES WORSE. I had to move from world to world and whenever we got REMOTELY settled into the hotel or other temporarily dwelling, we had to leave! Working for Samael meant he wouldn't hunt my parents anymore and…"

He turned away. "It's not like I know Green. She's my sister and I understand mentally that the whole thing is…sad." He sighed. "I OUGHT to know her. I should have spent my childhood with my big sister being there, we should have blown stuff up in the backyard together or played gorka-ball or "Toss the GIR"…we should have been siblings but…but we weren't. Aren't. It IS sad, but…I just don't really know her, and so I don't have many qualms about killing her, though MIYU had NO qualms in killing MALIK!" He added with a scowl. "And to get to her mother, she killed her dad too!"

Lilo frowned as Miyu calmly looked her gloves over like they had dirt upon them, though they were spotless. This was no act to try and appear calm, she felt no remorse for the cruelty she'd shown, Lilo could tell. Had she tortured her mother? Mocked her in her final moments? Even given her father ANY chance to run away? She doubted Miyu had shown any kindness.

"Azazel has yet to kill Nick, his dear, beloved Grandfather. So perhaps he'll kill his originator instead, he was so close to Nick, In his reality, his "Pee-Paw" was so PROUD of him…he even gave him his-"

Azazel appeared briefly in the doorway and Sue gulped as he pointed at his eyes with two fingers, then at her, making the "I'm watching you" gesture. He left the doorway and Sue went on. "As for Frequency, lobotomizing Sari, whom he cared for greatly, was his act. Samael was happy to allow him to do the act, it allowed Miyu to replace Sari, who had refused to kill her parents and had taken Samael's gift of immortality. Such a pity…she would have gained Miyu's incomparable battle skills but instead she lost most of her brain." Sue laughed.

"And now let us come to the point." Nightwing spoke up. "You are not going to be rescued." He told her coldly. "You are going to be tortured here by us, one at a time, and when TWO finishes with you, **I**…will begin." Nightwing told Lilo softly.

Lilo knew what he would do to her. She did not look up as he caressed her cheek and then gently leaned in, his slightly forked tongue flickering inside her mouth. She resisted the urge to cry out, she did not want to give him the satisfaction.

"Question: Who shall start?" Miyu asked, drawing her rapier as she did so.

"I'll be the first." Two spoke up, placing his gloved claws on Lilo's head. "My power will be good for torturing you."

Lilo watched in horror as he held up his other gloved claws and they began to burn with dark fire. He reached for her neck and she felt the stinging, horrible burning feeling of flames scorching her and she screamed as Two frowned slightly. He almost felt guilty about this.

…

…

…

…Rupert frowned deeply as he slunk around the hallways of EGO, noticing that, bit by bit, they were transforming. Slowly the wallpaper changed color, transforming into metallic-tinged walls. Slowly the floor became carpeted and softer, slowly lockers appeared to the sides of the hallway as Rupert realized where he had journeyed to. His old elementary school…where he'd met Jumba.

He looked to the right, to a passageway, noticing…a black blur running off and a familiar, happy laugh filling the air.

_ESME._

He raced after her, right on her heels almost, but she didn't turn around. She kept racing down the hallway…

… "Hey! Look what we got here!"

Rupert was so small and fragile in appearance as he looked at the blue, bird-like alien that the bullies were taping to the wall with duct tape. One of the bullies held up the bird's backpack and showed off his lunch…which was filled with cupcakes. Lucky dog, his mom must have REALLY loved him to pack that many sweets.

"Hey, wait, no, I need that, I'm diabetic and-"

"Shut it, or we dia-SECT your ass!" One of the predatory types hissed, a lionid alien with a large, scraggly red/black mane and a scrunched-up muzzle. His friends laughed at this poor attempt at wit.

"HEY!" Rupert yelled as bravely as he could, holding up his violin in it's case like it was a club. "Pick on somebody your own size!"

"Like…YOU?" The lionid whispered harshly, claws curling as he smirked at Rupert and the others turned to grin cruelly.

"Uhoh." Rupert squeaked.

He was soon running for his life from the bullies, yelling in fear. Unfortunately he was not faster than they were, and was soon stuck inside of his own locker, pounding and begging to be let out…only to be released, ironically, by his future lab partner and best friend…

…Rupert frowned deeply as he lost sight of Esme in the dark hallway, nothing but blackness filling his vision. He missed talking to Jumba, missed somebody on his own intellectual level and missed just making crazy stuff that blew up half the time. He LIKED it when things went kablooey, he admitted. And he giggled at the memory of the top five rules of EGO, the top five rules of villainy.

1: Never work for anybody more psychotic than you.  
2: Make sure you separate your short from your long fuse.  
3: Do not mock love. It's tougher than it sounds.  
4: Be careful when gloating over a hero.  
5: If there's no body, the hero didn't die and if there IS a body, check for the soul.

Rupert sighed. Jacques had never really "gotten" the first rule. He didn't know when to draw the line. Samael was beyond the line. FAR beyond.

He then heard gentle mumurs and "shhhing" noises. He kept walking, but did so as silently as possible. As he approached the end of the hallway, he saw himself approaching the gym.

There was a dragon…with scales redder than blood and glowing neon green eyes. It had no wings, not from what he could see, and sharp white talons. It was small at the moment, and wrapped lovingly around a familiar form…Patch. It had removed all her clothes and was licking her all over her body as she slept.

Rupert's blood ran cold. He remembered seeing this before. He'd seen Nightwing's wedding video. Nightwing had removed all of Haley's clothing, as was dragon tradition, and had then licked her body clean to symbolize he would always care for her and keep her safe. And then the two had promptly jumped on each other and he'd been unable to watch the tape anymore. This dragon was about to-

"NO YOU DO NOT!" Rupert roared, holding up his scythe at the dragon and frowning darkly, eyes glittering like burning red embers.

…

…

…

…"First thing's first." King told them all in his dojo. "I do not allow weapons in my dojo unless they're in CASINGS." He explained, jabbing a clawed thumb at the many cases on the walls. "So Alex..."

"Put these guns away?" Alex joked, holding up his arm muscles.

"I was thinking more of the strange-smelling metal thing that you've got hidden on your person." King remarked, one non-existent eyebrow raised.

"Ah, you mean THESE old thing?" Alex inquired, pulling something small out from his pocket, that expanded in his hand with a mental command. He tossed it and several other objects on the ground, a machete, plasma pistols…Alex placed them all on the ground, but what King noticed was a long, sligthly blunt-tipped sword of black flesh on the handle that seemed...alive. It pulsed with burning energy.

"Pray tell, what is that thing?" King inquired, looking rather unnerved as he pointed at the most prominent sword, the sword of black flesh. "The smell is foul and dark as a cave, as hot as Hell, and sickly sweet, like perfume..." He whispered, eyes narrowing.

"This" he said proudly "is the Soul Robber, twin sword to Sparda, but without the ability of a devil trigger" he proclaimed, swtching the sword between it's sword, spear and scythe forms. The spear was almost as tall as the lance Azazel wielded, the scythe thicker in it's handle than Rupert's, but all of them appeared to be made of the same pulsing black flesh.

"…a name like that makes me think it is…of an infernal nature." King remarked. "Pray tell, what does it do? Slay gods? Or literally rip souls away from others? I dealt with a close enough threat like that already in my adopted son." King muttered darkly, looking down at the ground.

"You adopted?" Echo asked, looking interested. "I haven't really hard you talk much about your family…"

King sighed and folded his arms. "Yes, I…adopted. It…is a sad story." He remarked.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

King gestured at a katana that was up against the wall. "That belonged to Naga, my adopted son. I found him in the forest…"

…

…

…

…King yawned, stretching out his arms as he walked through the forest in the wild forests of Judah in the time before man's civilizations had let them truly develop. It would be centuries before they'd get the sense to make cars or planes or anything like that, though they WERE making good use of metal and-

He heard something that made him stiffen up as the light that filtered through the tree's branches cast pockmark-like patches of brilliance upon the forest path. A baby…crying…whimpering. He quickly turned to the right and rushed as fast as he could through branches and shrubs, finally making his way to the sight of a small, barely-bundled-up child.

It was like him, a snake, but of darker hair, almost jet-black, and it was tossing and turning, wailing softly. It must have been crying for a long time…it's voice seemed harsh, and it looked malnourished.

"How awful…" King whispered. "How could your own parents abandon you? And you do not even look more than a few weeks old…"

He sighed deeply, holding his forehead and shaking it. "I should kill you now." He thought out loud. "Better to die quickly, and feeling a little bit of pain then the slow death that awaits you if I leave you out here."

He picked the child up, looking mournful. "You should thank me, little one." He told it softly. "I am showing you more kindness than your parents ever showed you…"

…

…

…

… "But you DIDN'T kill it, did you?" Yuna asked.

"No, it…it called me "Papa" and when it did, I felt my doubt about raising it vanish. And so, he became my son. I treated Naga with love and kindness and taught him everything I knew of magic, but…it wasn't enough." He frowned deeply. "He wanted to know how to…outlast…others. How to overcome death. There are ways, yes, but…" He deeply frowned. "Death is preferable. It's only a change, a transition, what lies beyond is more important. But Naga never understood that, though I tried to teach him. So he went off on his own to experiment and…he…"

King looked squeamish as he turned around, looking at the katana. "He found a way to steal bodies. To remove somebody's soul from their body and replace them completely. Old, young, man, woman…child…:

Patch looked utterly repulsed. "He-he MURDERED them?"

"Removing somebody's soul goes beyond murder…it goes into a realm that…" King shuddered. "You essentially damn yourself completely when you remove somebody's soul to further your own goals…"

"Removing the soul…damning yourself…" Alex thought back to when he'd first met Darth in that church…

_"I must say, you are an interesting individual." Darth told him as he began to clean a bunch of crystallized candles._

_"How so?" Alex asked of the blind irken who had his back turned to him._

_"For one, when I tried to read your mind, there were THREE mindscapes." Darth laughed. "Now one or two, that's very common. THREE is unusual though."_

_Alex looked angry. "That's private-"_

_"You're the one within 100 feet of me. Now in any case, I happen to think I can trust you with…a favor. Certain tasks." Darth spoke up. "I called you here by mail for I have heard whispers of your potential and after tasting your mind, I am sure you'll be of great use to aiding my goal."_

_"Which is?"_

_Darth turned around and smiled. "Do you have faith in people? That they can do great things if given the chance?"_

_Alex blinked. "…well, yeah, I guess I do. But I think a lot of people are mostly kinda MENTAL too…"_

_"Crazy, indeed, but we're ALL a little crazy." Darth admitted, shrugging. "Anyhow, I'll pay you if you're worried about finances, but I need somebody I know for sure can be relied on to aid those I care about."_

_"…what sort of favors are these that you want from me?" Alex asked, frowning slightly._

_"I need you to protect and defend." Darth spoke up. "And I assure you…it will pay off in more ways than you think…"_

"Pay off in more ways than you think…"

Alex was beginning to get why Darth had said that. He was learning quite a lot about the people around him and…changing a little too. "So what did you do?" Alex wanted to know. "How did you deal with Naga?"

"…I…I loved him too much. For so long I did nothing because I…I didn't…how could I kill my own son?" King whispered. "Eventually though more and more were dying and I could not ignore him anymore and so I met with him. We fought." His voice became lower. "I managed to overpower him, keeping his soul from escaped his latest stolen body…"

His voice became a hoarse rattle. "I snapped his neck."

Silence. Utter silence.

"…I had loved and spoiled him too much. I had not been strict enough. If I had just said "no", just once, then maybe…maybe he would not have turned out the way he had." King managed to gasp out, covering his face. He sounded utterly ashamed of what he'd done.

"…you did the best you could. It was his own fault he died." Echo told King, putting her paws on her hips. "If all he took away from you was magic skills and he didn't learn a thing about being nice, then he wasn't a good person to begin with!"

King turned around and nervously smiled. "I am…glad to hear those words." He admitted. "Now then…your…interesting sword?" He asked of Alex.

"I gave it the name out of respect of the son of the legendary dark night, when it slays a demon, their spirit is returned to the underworld, but the sword drains their strength, gradually making it stronger."

King walked over to the sword, picking it up. "Ah yes, the son of Sparda. Nick has met him before, as have I. Nice kid. Has his mother's eyes. Glad he doesn't have his father's nose though..." King laughed. "So..."

He held the sword in his hands and looked the blade over, frowning. "I do not...usually trust swords that slay demons. So often they are so doused in the blood of those they slay that...something is left over. A taint remains and the sword becomes...twisted." King frowned deeply. "In fact, I was given the label "Demon" by the Heavenly Host simply because I was neither animal nor human and because I spoke with more wisdom and intelligence than either...they had...often HAVE...a very black-and-white view on things." King remarked softly. "But I think YOU know something about that, don't you, Mr. Hardie?" He asked Alex.

"Things aren't black and white, simply different shades of grey." Alex intoned.

"Yes, that's often the case. Speaking of case…_ACCIO CASE!_" King cried out, holding one claw up.

WOOSH! A glass case shot out from a nearby closet and King tossed the sword into the case, which clung to the wall and stuck. "Now we'll begin your lessons! Sorcery, or wizard's magic, can be learned by anyone. At least, the most basic spells. But the basics are endlessly helpful."

"Wait…does that mean there are…killing curses? Like _Avada_-" Yuna began.

King held a hand up. "I must stop you there. There ARE killing spells. Many. But ALL of them can be blocked or halted somehow." He grinned. "The Killing Curse included. A simple "Reflect" spell will block any good spell sent to murder somebody else. But first I'll teach you how to summon items."

He walked over to Echo as Yuna, Patch and Alex stood nearby. "Alright. Now then…close your eyes and imagine bringing Alex through the air…to HERE." He said, moving her and himself over to a chalk-drawn circle that was far to the side. Echo nodded and took deep breaths as King went on. "Use your imagination strongly. Then say the words "Accio Alex"."

Echo pointed upwards, as if holding a wand. "_ACCIO ALEX!_" She roared out.

SCWOOSH!

Alex went flying and plowed right into her and King and they all toppled over in a heap.

"Well, ah…I admit, your inner magic is STRONG." King laughed gently. "Alex, are you alright?"

"Yes, but never do magic near me again, unfortunately..." he pulled up his shirts, revealing rapidly healing burnt and rotten skin "Magic is caustic to me." He muttered nervously. "Say…about…killing curses…"

"If it's of any consolation, normally killing curses are painless." King remarked grimly. "Though firstly, if magic is CAUSTIC to you, you'd feel burnt alive, and "Aveda Neutrogena" is simply a disgusting way to die. Death by moisturization...yeeeeccch." King stuck his forked tongue out.

"It's just that I'm immortal, so would it actually do anything?" Alex wondered, for a moment thinking of himself as Lord Voldemort, red eyes glinting, and feeling afraid of himself, unable to die, monsters locked away within…

"I...am not sure." King admitted softly, rubbing his chin. "...it may do something far WORSE than kill you..." He said quietly. "Your immortal body might be unharmed, who knows what ELSE would be damaged?"

Alex let out a harsh laugh. "Not much here to be damaged King" he stated, pointing towards his heart.

"..." King walked forward and placed a hand on Alex's heart, listening, and then sighed. "You have...dark, terrible urges in you. A horrid beast waiting to jump out. I too once had one like that, GREED is in the blood of my kind, that and a desire for revenge. But...there are ways to overcome this monstrosity within us, to keep it at bay, even turn it to good." King told Alex gently. "Would you like to know some of these ways?"

"I wish anything you had to offer me COULD help, but the problem with oblivion and rage…" he snapped his fingers, creating spectral versions of them "Is that apparently you can't subdue them, you can't change their allegiance, they just do what they do…" He remarked, kicking the floor and putting his hands in his pockets.

"There is always a way." King insisted, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "And I will try and help you find one. From now on, I consider you one of my students the same as the little ones, and as such will teach you all I can, all that may aid you in finding peace."

Alex nodded appreciatively. "Perhaps King, but right now my job is as a guardian for Echo." He said, gesturing at Echo, who was making things float through the air, eyes alit with joy as Yuna made small puffs of colored smoke appear and Patch, with a whistle, made little cups run around, now fully alive.

"Well, then I'd best teach you how to block unfriendly spells." King said. "First thing's first…"

King turned around, clapped his hands and raised his arms. "I INVOKE THEE…"

Alex had a feeling things were about to get VERY crowded in the dojo.

…

…

…

…Lilo rubbed her chin, muttering as she was escorted out of the room by Nightwing, who looked at her with an amused expression. The girl had just been submitted to seeing the some of the most horrific images she'd ever been able to comprehend…though she had a sinking feeling that Two had been holding back and had not shown her EVERYTHING not out of pity, but because they had to gradually wear her down. And now that the MENTAL part was done, the physical part…

Nightwing frowned suddenly, hearing music coming from down the hall. Somebody was playing on the guitar. He held a clawed finger up to his mouth, going "Shh" and quickly hid behind a vending machine after they peeked into the door the music was coming from. Azazel was there, in his mostly human-like form, playing an ordinary, non-electric guitar, strumming away as a brown-furred, glasses-wearing Leroy-like experiment stood there. He was wearing a dark shirt and shorts and looking Azazel over with obvious distaste, like he'd seen him before and knew what he was capable of.

It was then that they saw Samael walking down the opposite end of the hallway, towards the door. Lilo clung to the wall, inhaling deeply and hoping he wouldn't find them, but apparently he wasn't going down the hallway but going into the room.

_**Please have a seat! Sorry I'm late!**_ Samael announced, smiling and placing his hands together as he looked the brown experiment over. _**I know how long…you've had to wait!**_

He then walked further into the room and placed a few folders on the table. _**I did not forget…your documents! No time to waste…so let's…begiiiin!**_

He then walked around the room, raising a bony claw and waggling them in the air as he paced and Azazel kept playing on the guitar. _**Here's how it works…I've got these faces! Just give them names…I won't destroy you!**_

He held up something and placed it on the table as Lilo and Nightwing peeked into the room. _**Make sure you face…this tape recorder!**_

The brown Leroy-like experiment closed his eyes and turned away in his chair, folding his arms and muttering "Cabron" under his breath in a harsh whisper. Samael held up a small pen, grinning and showing off his blood-red fangs.

_**Make no mistake…this fountain pen…could have you cut in two by TEN! And by the way…**_

Samael smirked and tapped his claws together and whispered. _**Your next of KIN…**_

The brown experiment's eyes widened in horror as his head whipped towards Samael.

_**I know which house…she's hiding IIIIIN!**_ Samael laughed.

The experiment's head sank slightly as Samael's voice rang out with peals of laughter intermixed as Azazel stood up. _**Now that you know…who's skin you're saving…in these photographs, who's THAT one waving?**_ He pointed a claw at the experiment. _**I think you know! Speak up…amigoooo!**_

Then AZAZEL spoke up. _**Your file said…by trade, you are a fisherman! I'll bet you Mexicans…you can really reel 'em in! If you get the chance…you should go up to Lake Michigan!**_ He then blinked at the sight of Samael glowering. _**Maybe, but then again…anyway…**_ He turned away as Samael rolled his eyes and spoke up once more.

_**Where were we then?**_ He held up a photo for the brown Leroy-like experiment to look over. _**Is he your friend? I recommend…that you look…AGAIN.**_ He pushed the photo into the experiment's face, eyes now dark slits. _**Where does he stay? What is his NAME? There is no shame, he'd do the saaaaame!**_

The experiment took the photo and chewed his lip as Samael put his hands on his hips, frowning a little. _**So what do you say? Don't have all day! It's up to you! Which will it be? Good citizen…or poor campesino?**_ Samael asked, jabbing a claw into the experiment's arm accusingly.

Then Azazel spoke up, walking around them both, still strumming on the guitar. _**My dad…used to rent us this place in New Hampshire! He'd show us how to cast the line and tie a luuuure! He used to say… "God rewards us when we let the small ones go"!**_

He then shrugged slightly. _**Maybe, but I don't know…anyway…**_

He then looked sympathetically at the brown experiment. _**It's easy to bite…just take the bait! Can't snap the line…don't fight the hook! Hurts less if you…**_

He sighed deeply. _**Don't try to **__**diiiiiiiiie…**_

The experiment looked the photos over…and then sighed, placing his paws on the table, head hung.

_**Senor…as you know, I was a fisherman…**_ His eyes filled with misty memory as he sighed nostalgically. _**How FULL the nets came in…we'd haul them in by hand!**_

He then placed his paw on his heart. _**But when we fled…I left them just out past the coral reefs! They're waiting there for me…running deep!**_

With that, he sank back into the chair and covered his face, looking ashamed. Samael looked Azazel over angrily, then stormed out. Azazel smiled, knowing he'd won, and put the guitar away, patting the experiment on the head. "I'll take you home. I'm heading that way anyhow."

"Hey." Lilo spoke up.

Azazel looked towards the door at Nightwing and Lilo as Lilo nervously bit her lip. "Listen, uh…that was…I thought that was really nice. And…um…"

"You don't have to say anything else." Azazel laughed, shrugging. "I've got to bring Vic home. Then I need to make a stop at Jerusalem."

He nodded politely, and then snapped his fingers, and he and the experiment named Vic vanished. Nightwing smirked. "You probably think he's a very approachable person, don't you? That he's really a much more beautiful person than some of the others here?" His lips curled into a sneer. "But you're quite wrong. You have no idea how dangerous he is. Didn't you see? Or at least…SENSE?"

Lilo put her finger to her lip. "…well, I don't feel afraid talking to him. It's kind of like he's just…like a dog that everyone says is dangerous but when you actually get CLOSE to…"

"Like a dog, huh?" Nightwing wondered.

"Yeah, and his smile reminds me of Heartwing. It's so big and happy and…" Lilo blinked.

Wait a minute. Was Nightwing implying what she THOUGHT he was implying?

"…Nightwing…"

"Yesssss?" Nightwing asked.

"…Azazel is a demon, right?"

"Yes."

"And he was apparently reborn into mortal life…"

"Yesssss…you're getting there…"

"Did he use…to be a dragon?"

Nightwing grinned grimly. "And not just ANY dragon either."

"…does…do the others know?"

"No. But one shine knows another." Nightwing laughed. "Now come on, let's get you back to your room and get you cleaned up."

"You aren't going to…torture me?" Lilo asked.

"I think you're good for tonight." Nightwing told her as he led her out of the room. "Oh, but uh, spill some water in front of your door, you don't want Zoburg creeping in. He does that sometimes…"

Then Nightwing grabbed something out of her pocket. "Well, well…what's THIS?" He remarked, holding a vial up. "POISON?"

Jacques, watching from down the hallway, gulped as the pink orb that was following him hovered over his head. Oh NO…

"Well Darth felt that if I was caught, it would be better to die quickly and painlessly than let YOU use me." Lilo lied.

Nightwing looked her over and for a moment Lilo felt utter fear fill her. Surely he would see through this lie, surely he'd tell…

He crushed the vial and then shrugged. "Die from what?" He remarked calmly, leaving her alone.

Jacques breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the pink orb that continued to float around. There was still a problem. He didn't have the ruthlessness to kill Lilo, and she didn't have the heart to take her OWN life, and HE didn't have the courage to let Lilo go. He was too afraid…

"I need help." He thought softly.

PING. The pink orb let out a chime and something formed beneath it. He picked the thing up off the ground and looked it over. It was a sharp, almost ceremonial-in-appearance knife that had a 10 inch-long reach. It had the word "Despair" carved into the blade in red letters.

Despair, huh, Jacques thought, looking it over. How ironic…it looked just like the sort of thing you'd slit your wrists with as you committed that horrid sin, the sin from which there was no return.

He held it in his paws and looked down the hallway, his red eyes catching Lilo's brown ones. Then he looked down at his own wrists.

Finally he shook his head and walked off, heading for his room.

"Je ne ferai pas une telle chose." He spoke to himself in his home language. "Ich bin nicht solch ein Feigling." He said thoughtfully as he headed to his room. He quickly took out a thick ream of paper and began to write furiously, drawing up a plan of escape.

It was then that he caught sight of something on the desk and held it in his paws, looking it over and biting his lip as he did so. His first crush.

"Be proud of me, my partner." He hoped silently as he turned back to his work as the pink orb above him began to swirl around, happily glowing, silently singing with joy…


	27. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

_There is an old story I will tell you of. It has to do with an important issue that concerns the Jewish race and that of the Major Arcana._

_Near the end of the Great Revolt against the Roman Empire around the year 70 AD, 960 Jews were still fighting around the fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea. After 3 years of fighting, an entire Roman Legion was sent after them, expecting an easy prize of slaves and whores to await them. What happened was, when they finally reached the fortress atop the enormous rock…_

_All they found were corpses. Rather than let the Romans take them, Elazar Ben Yair, leader of the group of Zealots that had held up in Masada, had decided to precede Patrick Henry with the idea of "Give me liberty, or give me Death". He'd convinced every single fighter to kill themselves._

_Masada is a symbol. But the thing is, Suicide is not an acceptable solution to Jews, nor is it to the Major Arcana. To them, suicide is worse than homicide, which rips one's own soul apart. A murderer may one day repent. Suicides deny themselves this chance. The only time it's acceptable is when you die so as to lay down your life for others._

_Therefore there is an oath taken by Israeli soldiers today…_

"Masada shall not fall again." Azazel finished up as he sat with the blond-haired Joshua up at the top of the Corporation HQ right at Masada. They were sitting atop an enormous fortress of stone as Azazel's keen vision could see strange foggy mist surrounding Jerusalem so far, far away.

"You sure know a lot about Religion." Joshua remarked. "…for a demon." He added.

"No offense taken." Azazel insisted.

"Thanks again for releasing Mr. Vic. I do appreciate it." Joshua added. "You're much nicer than the others."

"Thanks...but listen, I...well, I have to return to the HQ in Japan where that girl is. I need to, ah, make a distraction and provide some assistance to a few friends." He went on.

"…why do you care what happens to Lilo Pelekai?" Joshua inquired, adjusting his glasses. "Forgive me for asking, but…"

"It's understandable. The thing is, upon death, I was sent to Hell, as you know. And…I was…" Azazel squirmed uncomfortably, changing into his more experimental form as he scratched his head with his thick black claws. "I was turned into tree fungus…and on the tree of a SUICIDE. Furthermore it was that of somebody I absolutely detested in life…ask me not to say his name." He added, seeing Joshua's confusion. "But after about an eon or so in that horrid limbo, being aware of my situation and being forced to hear screaming and sobbing and howling from the tree I was STUCK on like gum, I went…insane. And then I went VERY sane. And then I…"

Azazel lowered his head. "I did something not many have done down in Hell, but which is unbelievably effective."

"Asked somebody to get you free in exchange for a favor?"

"No, that happens all the time and Snizzi would have squashed that flat, he doesn't do favors unless he "likes" somebody and he didn't like me. What I did was…I prayed."

Joshua, who had been sipping on some Tequila with a worm in it and who had had the worm halfway into his mouth, spat it out and began coughing madly, his glasses almost falling off. "YOU? **PRAYED?**" He gagged out.

"I prayed. I begged. I pleaded with God. I did not whine about my situation. I did not beg for relief for my pain. I asked for…forgiveness. A second chance. I admitted that I probably didn't deserve it, and that was what did it, because then…"

Azazel smiled proudly. "I found myself reborn as…a baby…as HIS child, as Grey and Kila's little boy. And I was…I was…" He rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I always get…emotional…"

He suddenly stiffened. "Oh my." He whispered.

"What?"

"I put a little…device…in Lilo's room. If somebody were to open her cell…a certain somebody…then it would alert me through THIS." Azazel said, holding up a small little red dot that was beeping wildly. "Jacques Rupert von Hamsterviel has entered her room and no doubt he's going to free her. It was only a matter of time. A sympathy for the girl, a dead childhood friend on his conscience and with family in danger…it was really only a matter of time before he betrayed the Corporation. I saw the signs."

Azazel stood up and stretched his wings out. "Well, you'd best come with me." He said. "You don't have any other ride, do you?"

"Just one question."

"Shoot."

"Will I get shot at?"

"No. But **I** probably will."

"Well, I can live with that." Joshua said, grabbing ahold of Azazel's back and clinging tightly.

…

…

…

…Rupert Jacques Von Hamsterviel had not expected to barrel THROUGH a now-shimmering image of the red dragon and Patch. But that was what had happened. And, rolling to a stop, he found himself before another image…that of a red-haired, neon green-eyed demon with skin like perfect peach marble that was sitting by the River Styx's murky waters as a brown-furred experiment with deeply beautiful turquoise eyes who was sobbing hard, his wings now torn to shreds, no longer alluring and dazzling rainbows but ripped and gouged so badly they were now solid bone. There was a huge, hulking wound in the experiment's chest and his fur was matted with blood that looked so old…it had become black. In fact, it seemed to almost totally cover him. He must have been crying for months, maybe years…

"Didn't work out, from what I foresaw." Vassago said in a slightly bored tone. "But my predictions are always right. Sorry, little Lightbringer. I'm afraid that you, as anointed cherub, are going to be here for…ever." He remarked. "Now, cheer up. If you were an adulterer, I'd ask you to go over to the Second Circle and you have to stand in line behind this little guillotine that Astaroth's made…"

This attempt at humor did nothing save make the experiment bawl more. Finally Vassago patted him on the head and that seemed to do the trick. The experiment wiped his eyes and looked up.

"So what will you do now?" Vassago asked.

"…I'll think…of something. I usually do." Samael mumbled to himself, standing up. Vassago watched him go with a vaguely sad expression on his face.

Rupert turned around and saw other images, some of Vassago talking to demons in Hell, one of him up on Earth facing down a woman, another of him facing NICK, a hint of remorse in his eyes, an enormous sword in his hands…

He felt something strike him…a cold chill. He noticed a hallway open up nearby in the wall and he walked through the darkness…aware, suddenly, that the hallway became curved…turning into a PASSAGEWAY, and he felt sickened…the walls were…slick…and hot…ALIVE. He was not truly sure that he might not be in somebody's throat…

He saw something. Something bright white/blue and he hurried through the passageway towards it as disgusting ooze began to drip down, half milky, half opaque, like spittle…he made it out of the passageway and shivered as he looked around.

The walls were frosted over with huge chunks of ice. Ice sculptures were everywhere, all of…Skoodge. But something was wrong, the looks upon his faces were solemn, yes, but also frightened, vaguely, and in some cases tortured…

The deeper into the icy chamber he went, the worse the chill stung him to the bone, a harsh, dark biting feeling that surged up his arms and seemed to pierce his heart, trying to strangle it with a cold vise. He hugged himself tightly.

_I…am…brave…I…am…brave…_

But he was not brave, not really, he was smart, but he was not brave, he was creative, but he was not brave. He was even dutiful, but he was not truly BRAVE. Jumba had been brave. The little girl, dear Ms. Lilo Pelekai was brave. Nick was brave. They fought things that were horrifying to even COMPREHEND, even though they knew they were afraid, they fought. But Rupert Jacques Von Hamsterviel was not here because he was brave. He was here because he was a sap for a crying young face and he had never, in all his life, had wanted to disappoint family members. He was here out of sympathetic duty, and if not for that, he knew he would probably run and scream from all of this…

This made him dislike himself very much. He did not like being so weak, more importantly APPEARING weak. He tried very hard to appear strong for others but it could be hard…

And it was hard here. Hard because the way the temperature stung at him, it was very much like he was being pricked by icy claws…claws that were slowly making their way all over his body…

He then noticed something…the sensation of BURNING began to hit his right side while the sensation of FREEZING hit his left. He didn't understand until he moved past another statue of Skoodge and saw why, there was a chamber before him…a double-room chamber. There were two people in it…

Vassago was surrounded by flame and he was huddling in the corner as the images of Samael, Nick and Patch and a thousand others went around and around the walls of his cell. Skoodge was huddled in a cage made of ice and muttering to himself, tears and sweat pouring down his face and Hammy's expert ears could hear him sobbing that there was nothing he could do, nothing he could do, but WHY was he saying that? Why did both not leave? Vassago could not be burnt by fire and Skoodge was a cryokinetic, an ice-wielder! Why were…

Both…locked…away…

Suddenly he understood. Understood too what that black thing had been. It had been hatred. Hatred that had boiled up from Leroy's heart, stopped only by his concern for his son. This before him was a symbol too…a symbol of Skoodge and Vassago's failures…stoic Skoodge had been unable to truly stand up against people he'd known had been wrong, he had wanted to help but had not mustered the courage, despite the fact that he'd had enough chances and ability to do so. Vassago's attempts to care and protect others had all gone wrong too, from what Hammy guessed…and he had sealed himself away the same as Skoodge…both were failures in their own eyes, and locked away in prisons of their own making.

It was then that he heard somebody giggle and he turned around to see Esme, his darling sister, standing there on a tree made entirely of ice. But…no tree had suck thick limbs…or a face filled with rage…or a maw full of sharp teeth and claws and…

_627…_

"Remember when I took you on that trip to show you how I gave away half of my Black Market goods off the train?" Esme laughed. "That trip on April? The last one we ever went on?"

"Yes" was all Hammy could say as Esme rested her chin on her paw's palm and went on, tail calmly brushing the frozen 627's face and Hammy felt fear rise in him...the eyes were glowing slightly like dying embers reignited, the "tree" was coming to life…

"Remember how I had talked to you about being a comedian instead of following in Mom and Dad's footsteps and taking over the company?" Esme went on, looking amused.

How could he NOT? Two days later, ironically, on his fifth birthday, for his mom and dad's "present", he'd learned that Esme had been rushed to the hospital due to a problem with her heart condition…

And then two weeks later she was dead. Though Hammy had been brilliant enough to speak full sentences at age one, though he was smart enough to realize she was dead, he was not emotionally developed enough to ACCEPT it or truly GET it. This had been the first of many crippling blows to his mental and emotional state.

"Well I've got some AWFUL news for you." Esme went on, looking very eager to share the story. "Mom and Dad said that I'd been sick for ages, but they lied…they poisoned me. They were going to keep me in the hospital until I was ready to follow their orders. They told me as much as I lay there, barely able to lift my head up from my bed pillow."

She hopped off the slowly un-freezing 627 as Hammy felt himself quivering. No, it couldn't be…

"Well I wouldn't let them use me for their own purposes. I thought I'd be smart and fake my death. So I paid an orderly to pass me some powerful ether. The problem was I took too much and…well…" She shrugged. "I didn't recover and Mom and Dad lied and said I'd died of heart complications, not helped along by my "long, secret injury"…

The light in the room was slowly dimming. Hammy could only see her eyes now…glittering like stones alight with fire…

"Oh, you and Jacques were SO upset…" Esme went on. "Poor little brother. Don't cry though…I'm back now…and once you're dead, I'll love you and hold you forever and make sure you never have to be afraid…" She crooned gently.

"No, you're…you're LYING…you're LYING!" He screamed in desperation. **"YOU FILTHY LIAR!" ** He roared, shaking his fist at her. "TELL THE TRUTH! THAT CAN'T BE TRUE!"

Esme just laughed and laughed and slowly closed her eyes…and like that, she blended into the darkness as Legion burst forth from the ice, but now he was changing before Hammy's eyes, transforming into something monstrous…

Rupert realized with horror what had happened to David in the time he'd been gone…what had happened to Belle and Legion as well...all of them had been fused together, mouths opening and closing, screaming horribly, many pairs of arms waving around in the air, their bodies twisted and intertwined with their lower halves reaching down into the ground and trailing off like thick, disgusting roots…

"Scared?" Esme whispered as Rupert felt a paw push him to land in front of the thing that now looked down at him in a horrid furious roar. Rupert screamed.

He BARELY had time to dodge as it slammed a barbed tentacle that shot out of one of the mouths of the things and rolled to the side, getting some confidence back. Foul and disgusting as the thing before him was, it could not MOVE, it could not-

A screech, a horrid, wailing SCREECH that sounded like a thousand people were being ground up in a meat grinder…SLOWLY ground, and instantly Rupert was spasming on the ground, howling horridly as he clutched his ears in utter pain, tugging so hard they almost felt like they would come OFF…

Then the howling stopped and the barbed tentacle raised back up, as the large beast began to laugh with all it's mouths, three at once, cackling, sneering at his weakness…

He jumped up through the air and grabbed ahold of the tentacle.

It flung back and forth, back and forth, the tree-thing howling in utter fury, but Rupert would not relinquish his hold…not until he saw Belle's mouth open on the tree-thing, then he jumped forward and focused, constructing his scythe out of thin air into his paws and slicing in a diagonal fashion.

SCHLUCKA-SLIK! The mouth fell off and let out rattling gasps as if it was a man dying on the ground, not a mouth cut off. Rupert fell next to it as and let out a disgusted gasp as it began to dissolve into black acid that burbled and popped as the other two mouths howled out in renewed anger…

The barbed tentacle shot back out, but now something ELSE had occurred…the tree-thing was growing…_TALLER_ somehow. And worse still, it was now shaking throughout the chamber, and Rupert saw why…the head that was David's had it's eyes wide open, glinting with malice as it opened it's own maw and two long, snake-like coils shot out and shot into holes on the opposite wall.

Screams of pain…Rupert saw Vassago and Skoodge were now wrapped up in the coils and it was digging into their stomachs, unwilling to let go, siphoning their power. The horrid thing raised half it's arms up as a wall of swirling ice surrounded Rupert, cutting off any chance of moving backwards, and then it raised it's other arms, and surging flame poured down, hot and dark as Rupert felt sweat pour down his brow…

He raised the scythe up and rolled around, then leapt through the air and slashed at the thing's hide, but…no such luck. It laughed and then slammed him into the icicle wall with it's mouth tentacle, and Rupert felt a horrid cracking noise fill his ears as searing hot pain shot up his back. He screamed as some blood shot out of his mouth and the thing laughed at his misery.

His back…broken? Maybe…still…he pulled himself up as the burning fireballs rained down…

He swung the scythe. There was a immensely satisfying THWOCK…followed by an even more satisfying sound of hissing, burning flesh…the thing screamed as David's mouth fell off…

But Rupert's feeling of pride and accomplishment vanished with his smile as the tree-thing uprooted itself and turned around…and Rupert now saw who was seated behind the thing, on a throne made of roots, face filled with glee and eyes alit with hate.

"You're going to die! Oh happy-happy-happy!" Kaiser laughed as the face, for that was all eh was, a face now, stretched out against a dark cloak, eyes glittering like dark gemstones as a tongue licked his lips eagerly.

"SKOODGE! VASSAGO!" Rupert called out.

The doctor and the demon muttered behind him, they'd been dragged out by the coils and were now behind the ice flow that was keeping Rupert from them.

"I need your assistance! Most TIMELY assistance indeed!" Rupert insisted.

"But…all I do…is mess everything up…" Skoodge mumbled.

"I can't…help anyone…" Vassago murmured.

"ARE YOU REALLY SUCH COWARDS!" Rupert howled angrily. "I do not CARE what you have done in the past, I…NEED…YOUR…HELP…NOW!"

The barbed tentacle raised upwards…

"**NOW**, YOU STUPID, STUPID PERSONS YOU!" Rupert screamed as it rushed at him…

The ice flow shattered. The tentacle hovered in the air, stopped in fear…

And then a red dragon leapt upon the thing and began to rend it, claws and talons tearing in, glowing neon eyes alit. The tree-thing howled in desperation as Kaiser screamed and protested and desperately the face tried to pull away from the body, but when it did…

SCHLUCK.

Rupert's scythe fell through it, cutting it neatly in half. The face separated into a squiggling pile of brains and flesh and fat and eyes and dissolved away with a harsh whisper as Rupert fell to the ground, his back feeling on fire.

But he had done it. He had WON. He had succeeded. And he felt truly brave.

…

…

…

…Lilo sat on the bed as Zoburg paced up and down in front of her cell. He'd woken her up early for…tests…

She shuddered to think what they would be. He seemed quite do something that he claimed he was also eager to try upon the mind of Zim. Darth, he told Kila, would get his legs cut off, Miyuki would get her PAK sabotaged, and Zim was going to undergo a similar operation to what Sari had apparently endured, only, he bragged…

"I'll be able to put it BACK later." He went on. "It's relatively simple. See, you remove the brain like so…" He held up a small little diagram showing in total detail how one could remove a brain. "While at the same time keeping these wires attached to their cranial cavity to ensure that mental process continues to function, and therefore, the patient is completely alive and aware of the entire-"

By now Lilo's face had turned from her normal tanned brown/red color to a horrified, sickly blend of light brown, caused from becoming utterly pale. Luckily something happened that made the situation perk up somewhat. For one, there was an announcement on the PDA system…

"Will all members currently in the premises please report to the main hall ASAP?" Azazel's voice remarked, coming out of the PDA system, voice demanding attention and commanding respect. Zoburg immediately stiffened and frowned, then rolled his eyes, shut Lilo's cell with a humph, and then made a simulation of cutting something out of something that was obviously meant to be a head in midair, cackling a moment later.

A few minutes later Jacques opened up the door, a look in his eyes that he'd been working nonstop on something big for very long. He was tired, wrinkles around his eyes as he let out a long sigh.

"This way, little girl." He demanded of her quickly.

She followed him out of the cell and down the hallway as he walked briskly, sighing slightly as he entered his room. Lilo walked behind him as he picked up several small cards from the bed and a wallet. He quickly placed them in her hands. "Here." He said. "Bring the wallet to my brother. It's imperative." He told her. "And those cards will help you get out of the base." He added. "I will activate a code that will order the self-destruction of this and all of the other bases of the Corporation around the world." He continued to talk, looking rather proud of his idea. "My, ah, traitorous defection will mean all attention shall be on ME, and not YOU." He told Lilo happily.

"And furthermore, you need not worry about escaping. The code will also light up a path that will take you right out of the base. Simply slide the cards through the slots by the doors and you shall be let out. I've altered them to accept your DNA signature, which will be present the moment you touch the cards." He went on, rubbing his paws together. "So…you'd best get going." He told her.

Lilo put the cards in the back pocket of her jeans, then blinked and turned her head, picking up a photo off the top of Jacques's drawer, ignoring the large posters of various weapons and large machines and robots drawn on the walls, the scribbling in between the posters by marker…this photo caught her attention.

"The only man I ever loved" was placed at the top, scribbled…it looked nervously written, as if half in shame, half with love. Jumba was foremost in the picture, the biggest member of the E.G.U graduating class with two proud forms, one waving his butt, obviously Rupert, the other jumping in the air, holding a diploma in hand, clearly Jacques, with a look of wild glee on his face.

"Wait, you…" Lilo asked quietly.

"It was many years ago." Jacques admitted. "Me and my brother both had somewhat of a…" Jacques trailed off and then dusted himself off as he walked out into the hallway.

"How do you plan to escape?" Lilo asked.

Jacques turned back, smiled in a proud fashion at her, then left. But he did not really answer her.

…

…

…

…Rupert rubbed his head as he looked up, his back feeling far, FAR better. He turned to see Skoodge had stopped rubbing an ointment on his back and Vassago was helping Leroy back up as Legion, Belle and David stood huddled together, looking unwilling and too frightened to speak about what they'd just done moments ago in their fit of monstrosity.

Jay was sitting nearby, nervously biting his claws. There was something strange about the whole place…it seemed as though…it was falling away. Bits and pieces of the area were flying up into the air, peeled off like somebody was taking a chisel to the wall and getting the smallest specks off, bit by bit.

"This place…what is it? It's not normal. I don't like it. It does things…" He muttered.

"I know." Vassago spoke up. "I know where this is. It's not…a place, really. I would not truly call it that. It's…alive."

"How can…this…this "place that's not a place" be alive?" Rupert wanted to know. "Explain!" He demanded. "I've just been almost RIPPED TO SHREDS because those three were affected by something you so enigmatically call a **PLACE THAT IS NOT A PLACE!**" Rupert snapped angrily.

"Would you say a city…that maybe your own home, even…had a personality? Ever heard somebody say "Boy, this place feels ALIVE"?" Vassago inquired, folding his arms, eyes glinting like a cat's.

"…well…yes." Rupert admitted, rubbing his chin.

"Hell is a living place…it has sentience…sentience that often remains hidden. But not…always…" He whispered in frightened, hushed tones. "But other places, when they have enough power, they become…alive…"

Everyone was silent as the Tower of the Major Arcana went on. "Purgatory is alive as well. It has a presence. One that seeks the redemption of those within it. It reminds me often of…friends…good friends." He mused softly, rubbing his chin. Then he sighed. "But moving on…"

He bit his lip, then continued. "The thing is…this is both Purgatory and…some other thing. Something that has blended in the chaos that is resulting from the balance being undone…this scent…the scent of the place, the stench is that of the Pit…that which is known as Sheol…or…_Vorago_…"

Rupert turned colder than he'd been not too long ago when first entering the icy chamber. Vorago. The Abyss. It housed the most horrific and terrible of beings who had gone beyond the realm of "usual evil" that Hell housed. Demons were cast there who had gone too far. There were things inside this place that had been imprisoned by heavenly beings…things from eons ago, things gigantic and terrible…and for things that were NOT demons who had been sentenced here, what they turned into was…

Existence in such a form…oblivion was better than that. And he realized, with horror, that-

"No…" He murmured as he began to cry. Not Esme, no…

Esme emerged from the ceiling, walking down from a stairway that dripped with blood as it folded out before the frightened, crying Rupert. "Poor thing." She whispered. "I know it hurts…I know. But you'll be in less pain if you just accept it." She insisted gently.

Rupert said nothing. But a new feeling was boiling up in him.

"They told me everything. I'm going to get what I want…revenge against mother and father. And then we'll be one big happy family, just you and me and Jacques. We never needed anyone else." Esme insisted, a big smile on her features.

"Oui, they have promised." Rupert said. "But...but it is not true, my sister. They lie."

Esme's smile faltered. Her voice became a whisper as the others carefully backed off, watching Esme's tail become triangular in sharp, with insect-like pincers on it, as lines began to form on her stomach and her feet grew talons…

"You shouldn't…say things like that, you'll…you'll get them angry and I'll…I won't hear of it…"

"If there IS anything of my sister within you, you'll know the truth and that they ARE lying." Rupert went on…

Meanwhile, Zoburg, Sue, Miyu, Nightwing, Two and Samael stood in the grand hall of the Corporation HQ at Japan as they looked at Azazel, who was tapping his feet on the ground in human form, looking them all over as Joshua sipped on some hot chocolate Azazel had summoned out of the air.

"What is this all about?" Samael demanded to know. "Where's that vermin?"

"Well firstly, Jacques has been…having second thoughts. He's really going to try and make sure that your plans won't work. Especially not yours, Zoburg." He went on to the overgrown cockroach. "Frankly, I do not blame him. Your plan to gain control over her power would not have worked. You understand _NOTHING_ about how Life Magic works. She would have to willingly give it to you in order for you to understand it and she never would. Nor would I."

"So the rat's planning on betraying us. Not surprised though…" Two admitted.

"But I'm afraid that is not merely the only problem you have to deal with." Azazel remarked, grinning broadly. "You see, he needed HELP for this." He went on, spreading his arms wide, turning around and spreading his wings out wide. "He needed somebody to assist him in keeping you all away long enough for him to give the girl time to escape."

Samael's eyes lit up. "You've been planning on defying ME?"

"Yes, I imagine this must rather be like going to the dentist to get a cavity dealt with and finding a cyst has sprouted up as well." Azazel said cheerfully, turning around and putting his hands on his hips, beaming proudly, looking quite happy at what he had just told them all.

"You've got some NERVE telling me this." Samael whispered darkly.

Meanwhile, Jacques had entered the main communication room and was now taking the knife that read "Despair", cutting into many, many wires, as many as he could. Soon all of them were laid bare, the insides plainly seen. He grinned happily…he'd left JUST enough to do what he needed.

"Computer?" He ordered.

"Yes?" The Base Computer asked.

"Emergency Code!" He barked out, pointing upwards.

"Which code?"

"Passcode…Es lebe die heilige Deutschland!" Jacques demanded.

"Comment: I shall SHISH-KEBAB you, you backstabbing-" Miyu began, drawing her sword as Azazel gave her a sorrowful look.

THWOOOOOOOSH!

The sprinklers activated. Zoburg screeched and howled, spasming on the ground as Miyu snarled angrily and Two groaned. "He turned the SPRINKLER system on?"

"THIS BASE IS SET TO EXPLODE. FIVE MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION."

Everybody gaped and turned slowly to look each other over. They then turned as Azazel took Joshua's hand.

"Too bad YOU can't just teleport out to anywhere you want." He remarked. And with that, he waved his hand, and he and Joshua were gone.

Samael swore. "YOU **SONOFA-**"

Lilo, meanwhile, tore through the base, going towards a set of double doors that were brightly glowing. She held up the first card and slid it through a slot, then raced through as sirens blared in her ear, almost drowning out the harsh beating of her own heart. ALMOST.

She tore through the hallway and made her way to another doorway, sliding a card through THAT slot…

Jacques looked down at the knife as the appearance changed into something else. It was now a small little painkiller pill that read "Redemption" in small letters on it. Jacques tossed it into his mouth and swallowed, then sighed and walked back to his room as the sounds of the siren got louder and louder.

He found his way back to his room and picked the picture of him and Jumba and Rupert up, looking it over as he sat on his bed, calmly waiting.

_**You agaaaaain…I dreamed of…yooooou again…  
This time you seemed so real…winking back at me…**_

He caressed the photo, smiling gently.

_**My old friend…I feel your ghoooost again…  
seems like you've gone for real…and soon I'll leave for good!**_

He lowered his head and shook it as he continued to sing softly, almost whispering.

_**And now I catch my breath and wait…half-dreaming…half awake!  
As gentle wind…blows through my…dreaaaams agaaaaain!  
Thoguht I had closed the window tight…against the night!**_

Jacques took a deep breath. One minute…

_**And now I catch my breath and wait…wide-eeeeeyed…wide awake!  
But you are half a world away…and there is little now that I can say…**_

He held the picture close to his body as even know Zoburg, the last of the Corporation members, hurried out of the HQ leaving him alone in the building.

_**But I will always love you…always miss you…  
You are always welcome here…  
You are always…welcome…**_

He placed one paw on his heart, and then a tear trickled out of the corner of his eyes as he finished and Lilo raced down the street away from the HQ…

_**Here…**_

Fire. Light.

…peace.

…

…

…

…Esme quivered furiously, a look half of anger and half of fright on her face. "You…don't…mean that…"

"If there IS any of Esme in there, she'll know it's true and that she shouldn't be doing this." Rupert went on. "A Hamsterviel does NOT let themselves be used by ANYONE!"

Esme then snarled, her paws becoming clawed, fangs appearing in her mouth, but before she could leap at him and tear his throat, a white form jumped out from above where she had come and grabbed her. She gasped…

And then, BOOM. With a burst of light, a small, quivering black-furred female Muridean was there. Not a monster, but a scared girl. She looked up to see Jacques's whispery form holding her gently by the arm. Rupert blinked as the others looked at this scene. "…Brother? You…you're not..you can't…"

"It's time, then?" A voice called out.

They turned as white began to flood their vision. Now they were all within a beautiful palace clearing as tall trees surrounded them and blue skies shone above. Clouds ambled by as the grass tickled their feet, and a ring of crystalline stones surrounded them. Emerging from the wood were Stitch and Angel, Hyena, Vee, Barty and others who had perished so recently. Jumba approached Jacques and frowned slightly.

"You're really going to…" He began.

Jacques nodded as he let Esme go and then looked at Jumba before he approached Rupert and placed his paw on his brother's chest.

Then the two became one. Rupert blinked as he felt his brother's soul join with him. He knew it, understood this was how it had to be and knew what to say now.

"We always loved you, Jumba. We were just too stupid to say it." He spoke sadly.

Jumba bit his lip and shuffled his feet before he nodded, and with that, Rupert held his scythe up and tapped it on the ground as a golden path began to slowly stretch out before them all.

"…let's go home. I am…tired."

"And your daughter-in-law is giving birth in…" Vassago tapped the side of his head. "An hour."

"YIKES!" Stitch gasped. "Well c'mon, let's get going!"

…

…

…

…Naomi "yelped" as she jumped back, the sight of an enormous warehouse beginning to erupt into flames. A moment later she was pulled back by Sandy as Heartwing moved the crowd further and further away from the warehouse. Screams could be coming from inside, making Naomi frown deeply.

The Vendor, who had on a blue cap, tilted it to the side and folded his arms. "Well, for once, it wasn't me."

"Who's IN there?" Naomi demanded to know of him.

"I don't know, but..." The Vendor turned his head. "I think HE does." He said softly.

White was holding a marshmallow on a stick to the flaming building as the unmistakable sound of "Sousa's March" began to play from the burning building, drowning out the screams quite well. "That'll be the last to go from what Jacques programmed into all of the structures! Pays to be the one who builds the HQs, don'tcha think?" He laughed.

"JACQUES RUPERT VON HAMSTERVIEL did all this?" Naomi wanted to know. "HIM?"

"Why?" Heartwing wanted to know.

"Oh, it's a distraction to get Lilo out." Azazel spoke up, landing nearby and placing Joshua on the ground as everyone turned to look at him. "And to ensure that the HQs cannot be used by the Corporation again. If he had to go, he wasn't going alone." Azazel went on. "Though in a few minutes, you won't remember him." He added.

"…remember who?" Naomi asked, her face suddenly looking confused. "I get the feeling I should know, but…"

"Heh. _Worked_." Azazel thought to himself. "Anyhow, it's actually good to see you, my originator." He told Heartwing. "What ARE you doing here with Sandy?"

"We heard there was mist. Just like the mist at Kokaua Town that Darth, Myr and Nacht are dealing with." Sandy said. "We decided to investigate and to bring our soon-to-be-mothers here as well…Charlie's with them now and showing them the Wailing Wall. Jerusalem is supposed to be a safe place."

"Normally, yes." Azazel admitted. "But with all this Vorago seeping in…"

"VORAGO?" Naomi yelled.

People began to feel utter terror. They knew, they KNEW of Vorago.

"Th-that's a very bad…bad thing…" Heartwing mumbled, clinging tightly to himself, shivering in fear.

The mist began to crowd around them, caressing those at the outer rims lovingly, but seeking to draw them in deeper. It was almost…purring. Sandy gasped in fear at the sight of several being gripped by the mist and grabbed, screaming, to be pulled into the mist that was coming from the northern section of town. He could faintly see their outlines as they were torn apart, piecemeal…

"Well I can't have THAT." Azazel said angrily. "**GET OUT OF HERE!**" He roared furiously, raising his hands up.

THUDDA-WOOOOOSH!

An enormous gust of wind shot through the town and the roofs of several roofs got blown off, doors and windows were unhinged and all of them went flying through the air. People covered their eyes as best they could as a burning white light emitted from Azazel's body and the mist was dissipated right before their eyes into nothingness, and those that had, moments ago, been chunks of body, returned to normal.

But what had been left in it's place…was more scary than comforting.

Naomi, Joshua, Heartwing, Sandy and the others gazed in fear at the being before them that Azazel had become. He had transformed now into something far, far more impressively big and dangerous than what he'd been before. His black claws and talons had grown out, stretched forward. His thick hair became spikier as it shot back and transformed into spiky crests, with three sharp, long crest-like hair spikes jutting out from the front, bobbing slightly in the air as his slightly-sick-colored green skin glinted in the light. His tail had sharp black spikes upon them, and he had a huge pair of majestic wings. He wore brilliantly blazing white armor with the Star Command symbol on the chest, as well as having arm and leg bands…and now his golden eyes looked them over as he held his head up proudly.

_"I greet you now with admiration in my heart, young ones." _He told them all. "Especially thee, fellow dragon, my originator. I thought thou were weak, but your light…your goodness makes your resolve and strength immense." He nodded. "I admire resolution and respect your Light."

"What do you want, fallen angel?" Naomi demanded to know. She knew that Azazel had great, GREAT power, but she was not going to be frightened by a demon.

"I have always found answer in prayer and now understand God's message. I must defy Samael, and I MAY be able to do so…I am powerful, you know of this. But I…will require help. I ask… will you follow me?" He offered gently. "I will care for you and your children well. I ask only that you follow my orders." He told them. "I must destroy him. He's grown too great a threat."

Naomi frowned deeply. It was true, he'd saved their town and proven he could be righteous, but he was still a fallen angel-type demon, and a dragon too. Maybe he wanted to destroy the Devil for a rightful reason, but…

"No, I will not!" Naomi shouted back. "I would NEVER follow a demon!"

Azazel looked the others over as they shook THEIR heads. "I can't." Heartwing insisted. "There's too much…darkness in your heart. Something about you is...off…"

"Sigh…" Azazel took a deep breath. "Then I am sorry, truly sorry…but you too must perish." He spoke up, looking them over with pity in his eyes.

He took up a battle stance. **"You'd best not hold ****back!****"** He roared out as he held his hands up and summoned his lance from thin air.


	28. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**  
_Zoburg is one I look upon with utter disdain because I know his type. He seeks to hold all knowledge…to overcome feeling pain and suffering become immortal and all-knowing. He wishes to see all and know all._

_IDIOT!__ He ought to know better! I learned an important lesson early in my life._

_By putting an end to my uncle and shipping his pieces off across the kingdom we called home, I got my people to get into line and had other species understand I would NOT follow my uncle's path. However, I couldn't get his eyes out of my mind. My fury...my hatred...the snarling growl in my voice as my scimitar came down and down over and over again…_

_Picking up the scimitar again I felt horrified and I realized that if __I__ could do this…anybody could. And not just to their own family (evil or not) but to complete strangers…but what could I do?_

_And then I had another revelation, given to me when humans arrived to examine the large, golden bell I lovingly called my own. They wondered if I had been "enchanted"…I'd never heard of magic before. I asked to know more…_

_Upon learning of magic's existence, I decided then that I had to know as much about it as possible so as to make sure that I would be able to protect everyone in the kingdom. And so I learned and learned, I studied night and day without sleep…_

_Then they came…the angels. Through them I gained a responsibility of looking after the Bell of the Heavens…and also knowledge of white magic. Oh, how I wanted it…I imagined a world in which people slain could be living and laughing and embracing their beloved once again, in which I would heal wounds with a simple flick of my finger…a kingdom without true death, which could overcome the worst suffering. Nobody would ever have to die…_

"But that did not come true." King finished as he looked Alex over. "I journeyed far to one of the greatest masters of _Zoe_…to the Lord of the Dreamtime himself, who is a distant cousin. I found that…I could not learn white magic."

"Why not?" Alex inquired. He looked confused.

"Because to hurt…to die…those are natural. A wise man accepts he must die eventually and that there are things far worse than physical pain." King remarked. "Because I hadn't thought of that, I could not ever learn white magic. I was trying to be selfless, but was also being abysmally stupid." He took a sip of his green tea. "I do not deny it." He added gently. "Anyhow, I'm still not ready to unleash white magic anyhow. My nature is not good enough."

"You seem quite "good" to me." Alex remarked, rubbing his chin. He had taken his experiment form for training…the girls were now resting by his side, each of them snoozing against his furry form as his surprisingly human eyes looked the serpent magus over. "You're like somebody's grandfather."

King smiled warmly. "That's very kind of you." He said, raising his cup to his scaly lips again. "But I assure you, I'm still very flawed." He then nervously looked down at his hands. This was odd…he should have had more digits…

"What's up with your hands?" Alex asked the old snake, picking up on the detail.

King turned a little pale. He was about to answer when…

DING-A-LING! The door to the dojo opened and Pleakley walked in with a sleeping Sari in his arms. White was standing right behind him, looking rather…disturbed. He'd obviously come from something very unpleasant.

"Hello!" Pleakley said cheerfully as the girls began to wake up, save for Sari. "We just brought Sari here to play with the rest of the girls. We thought she might like it. Also, your dojo is blue, so…"

"And she DOES like blue." White added, nodding his head sagely.

Alex narrowed his eyes towards White, for a while he was a member of the evil Corporation, , and he still was a little tense towards him.

"Hey Sariiii…" Pleakley said, gently pushing some hair aside with his long fingers. "Sari…wake uuuuup…"

Sari blinked her eyes and looked around the room.

"This room is blue." She said, hopping down as Echo walked over to her. She looked Echo over. "You're kinda blue too. And kinda green. Turquoise." She decided.

Echo rubbed her chin. "So…she's autistic, right? Why would any parent just leave an autistic kid?"

"She was MADE autistic." White mumbled. "Frequency lobotomized her in order to be included into the Organization. He didn't have the guts to kill his parents so he did this to…"

An idea came to White. "Wait…I can FIX her! I can just reverse her timeline, make her de-age and go back to before she was lobotomized!" He remarked, clapping his hands. "Ha-ha! Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Because you have the risk of permanently damaging the timeline when you do that." Alex said, returning to his human form "But I won't." He added.

Alex focused and held his hand up. Instantly chaos energy flooded around Sari and the temporal affects were felt immediately…she was changing before their eyes…

And the changes made everyone's eyes widen in amazement. Most of all, White…White was the most shocked. His eyes were almost bugging out in amazement, mouth wide open. Sari's hair had become white…her eyes turning dark brown…her hair no longer tied up in ponytails but hanging down like…in a fashion just like White's.

She blinked and looked at him.

"…daddy?" She asked.

"…you're…you're my…I have a daughter…" White whispered. He walked towards her and caressed her cheek. "You're…you're **beautiful**." He realized.

"I owe you that power, I've been absorbing your chaos energy" Alex said rather simply, stroking the young girls hair.

"How is this even possible?" Echo asked, scratching her head. "I mean, everyone heard your girlfriend was…like…DEAD. Really dead!"

"Explanation: You silly girl, she was transported out of the world she'd been IN. And so much exposure to chaos energy has an odd effect on people. Sometimes it makes them glow at night. Sometimes it makes them gain control over time. Sometimes it impregnates them."

They all whipped their heads towards the sight of Miyu who was standing there, sword at her side, fully armored and looking pleased with herself.

"She did NOT give Sari up for adoption, by the way. The neighbors next door did, since her death meant that-"

"She's…dead?" White asked, croaking slightly.

"Question: Why do you act like you care? You who have lusted after so many women. You act as though her death meant something. Or perhaps…you loved her more than you would have admitted…" Miyu wondered, rubbing her chin. "Yes, she is dead. She refused to let Sari be lobotomized, so Frequency had to…deal with her…not that he really wanted to. He ALMOST finished her, but I saw him lowering the gun and I couldn't have that, so I did what needed to be done." She explained calmly. "I suspect that was why Sari didn't bother running, she was too mentally broken at seeing her mother's face twist up like a pretzel-"

Miyu was silenced by both Alex Hardie and Michael White's fists colliding with her jaw.

"Shut up before we make you!" Alex snarled as Miyu reeled back. She smirked broadly and drew her sword, pointing it at them as her PAK extended it's spider legs.

"I…am the best fighter in the Minor Arcana." She spoke up, suddenly moving forward at almost insane speed and slashing rapidly. White dived and ducked and was forced back whilst Alex tried to dodge the stabbing motions of the PAK. White was nicked across the chin by the thin sword blade and Alex's foot took a stab, making both be knocked back as Miyu took up a dueling stance. "Nobody but Azazel was able to match me in combat. Which, I suppose, was one of the reasons I admired him."

"You were going to be married, weren't you?" Patch spoke up, frowning and folding her arms. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"Proclaiming insult: He's ALREADY married! To…to GOD!" Miyu laughed. "Imagine, thinking God talked with HIM! Such deep delusion. I tried to overlook it, but really…"

She continued slicing and slashing, spinning around as if dancing as she forced Alex and White around the room in a _dance macabre_. "Such stupidly organic thinking cannot be condoned."

Alex had heard enough. Scowling, he quickly drew his machete and sliced off one of the PAK legs, before trapping her blade.

"If it wasn't for organics, machines wouldn't exist, and no matter how independent you become, you will always need us." Alex whispered dangerously.

"Ho-HO!" Miyu laughed as she danced back and forth, sweeping her blade as it clanged over and over against Alex. "The stripling bears it's fangs to imitate the **tiger**! Stupid fool, you've played right into my hands!" She cackled. "In case you've forgotten, this blade can cut through anything. It can end even YOUR life!" She remarked.

"You've forgotten about ME!" White snarled, leaping up.

The upper left PAK leg swung up and promptly shot forth, detaching and impaling White by his shoulder to the wall. His head hit the wall with a horrid CRUCKA and he was knocked unconscious.

"Oh dear oh dear oh dear…" King gasped as Miyu continued to trade blows.

"Brag: Even Azazel's Spear of Destiny had a hard time with me." Miyu went on. "If he who "spoke to God" couldn't match me, what hopes have you have? Who are **YOU**?" She demanded of Alex.

Alex quickly slammed his palms together, trapping the blade between them. He lifted his head, which had been on his chest, to stare into her eyes. Suddenly he began to twitch, accompanied by an electronic buzz.

"A protector." he said quietly.

"Why can't you do that?" Patch begged, clinging tightly to King as he looked down at her.

"I can't heal…" King said softly. "I can only kill…"

"No, you CAN do much more. You have to believe you can. Be brave." Patch insisted. "Be brave, teacher."

She clung tightly to his hands and King felt her warmth flow through him, loving and forgiving. Meanwhile, Miyu frowned angrily as she raised the other two PAK legs up and two new ones sprouted from her PAK.

"You will protect no one. You…will FAIL…everyone." She whispered.

But as she swung them all at Alex with a speed he could not match, a speed that ensured he wouldn't be able to hold them ALL…

"PROTECT!" King roared out.

THA-THUNKA! All of them bounced off Alex like a tennis ball bouncing harmlessly off a brick wall. Miyu gasped at the sight of King holding up his palm, which now glowed…white…

_White Magic._

"How?" She gasped.

"I believe…I have been forgiven. I believe my nature is now…acceptable…to White Magic." King decided. "And…I believe…YOU were hurting my friend and threatening my students." He raised both hands up. "**MEGGIDO!**" He roared out.

Instantly the entire place was surrounded with flame that swirled around them all, but it did not cling to the walls or burn the floor, no…though they felt the heat, it did nothing…that is, until at last it swirled into an orbish form and like a miniature sun it rose up as the Earth beneath Miyu creaked and shook and opened up and she was trapped within a small crevasse…

But not for long. A moment later the sun came down right on her and she shrieked and desperately raised her sword…but even that wasn't enough. It only sliced parts of it off…

With the sound of a sizzling KA-BLAM smoke filled the room and they all shielded their eyes. A moment later Miyu lay there, panting heavily. She appeared to be the only thing in the room burnt by the spell…

And revealed to all…was blood. Greenish blood. Irken blood. Running down the corners of her mouth as patches of smoldering flesh were exposed from her cracked-open chest.

"So you're not a true machine…you're FAKIN' it!" Echo realized, pointing at Miyu with a look of glee. "What a faker!"

"Outcry: I am TECHNO-ORGANIC!" Miyu hissed. "My filthily organic parts are of no use to me! They shall remain hidden as my secret shame! And you will ALL die for seeing it. **I…don't…let…ANYBODY…look…at…my…chest.**" She snarled.

It would have been funny if not for the fact she had murder in her yellow-visored eyes.

An ear splitting roar drew their attention behind them. Alex was glitching, his eyes were glowing green, claws were sprouting from his fingertips and there was a sound like a knife being dragged across metal as his spines shot out along with fangs.

Miyu held her sword up, and then, as if pulling it off of flypaper, split it into TWO swords, which she pointed at King and Alex as King raised a scimitar charm bracelet from his robes, making the small thing bulge out into a full blade in his hands. He held it upwards and his yellow eyes narrowed.

"_Have at you_." He said in Sanskrit.

Miyu rushed at them, and it was a flurry of fangs, claws and blades. Her PAK sliced and diced at Alex whilst her sword viciously tried to skewer King, but King was far quicker than he looked and stronger too, he swayed around, dodging the blades as his eyes turned more and more into slits whilst Alex's muscles bulged and he slashed harshly. It was turning into an impasse, it was honestly hard to tell who would win…

But in the next instant it all became clear. Oblivion was in control, not Alex. With a swift motion, it locked its teeth over Miyu's arm and, muck to the horror of everyone, tore it off and swallowed it.

Miyu gasped in horror and was about to renew her attack when a CLING sound rang out and King's scimitar cut off her other arm. Her PAK legs stiffened as she looked down at the ground at the sight of it twitching as King held the scimitar up to his cheek and aimed it at her, frowning deeply before he lowered it and stepped back, folding his arms and putting the scimitar to the side. He did not have the heart to continue anymore…there was no point.

Oblivion however, wasn't keen on stopping. It slammed her up against the wall, creating a spiderweb of cracks, it's impossible strength holding her. Strangely, Miyu felt energy swamping her body, like it was keeping her alive. Before she could ponder it any longer, Oblivion began sprouting tentacles from all over it's body, each tipped with a toothed maw.

"You…_you can't…be…doing…this…_" Miyu deadpanned, all emotion stripped from her as the others looked away.

Oblivion didn't waste another second. The teeth plunged into her, devouring her body, layer by layer, whilst the energy kept her alive. Before long, in its claws it was holding a skull, stripped clean of flesh and it's eyes plucked out, it's lungs still attached, screaming in pain. Oblivion observed for one more second, before pulverizing it.

The shattered pieces fell to the floor as Oblivion panted and turned around. King held his arms up in front of the students. "That will do." He said calmly, coldly.

Alex merely shivered as he returned to his true form, slumping to the floor.

"Why does my mouth taste of metal?"

"…you don't remember?" Echo asked. "You tore that bitch APART!" She told him. "Woulda been awesome sauce except she ended up a…screaming…skull…" She trailed off.

"It's true. She did." Sari remarked.

Alex retched quickly, and pulled a cybernetic knuckle out of his mouth.

"Oblivion right?" He asked.

They all nodded. "It was uh-uh-ugly." Echo admitted.

"Well…" King sighed. He shrugged a moment later. "I think we'd best go find the others. It's time to head back to Kokaua Town. That is, ah…" He looked up at White. "After we bring him back down." He added.

…

…

…

…White had come into the dojo disturbed.

But why? Because of the fight he'd witnessed at Jerusalem with Azazel. It had been, quite simply-

"**ACCIO GROCERY STORE!**"

"Oh MY LORD!"

Well, I'll let the fight speak for itself.

Naomi barely had time to jump to the side as the grocery store (thankfully empty) was lifted high up into the air and SLAMMED down onto the ground where she had been a moment later. By now the crowd had rushed back as far as they could, though were still being close enough to watch the whole scene unfold as Vic, holding up plasma pistols, unloaded them at Azazel. Unfortunately he'd cast some kind of shielding spell upon himself…all of them bounced off with ridiculous ease.

"Oh, come on. GUNS? You're using GUNS against me?" Azazel inquired, golden/amber eyes looking rather disappointed. "You really have to do better than that, I'm sorry, but really. GUNS. What am I, just your average goon?"

"What I wouldn't GIVE for an average goon." Joshua mumbled.

White, meanwhile, was still roasting a marshmallow by the burning wreckage of the Corporation HQ as he whistled along to "Sousa's March" that was coming out of the dying building. Sandy glared angrily over at him. "Are you just going to SIT THERE?" He snarled.

"Wait for it…wait for it…" White stepped far back from the building as the march reached "that point"…and then…

KA-BOOOOOM! The whole thing exploded, sending pieces flying everywhere. White laughed madly as he covered his eyes. "Oh-ha-ha-ha-ha! Did you just hear where it ended? Just like Monty Python! Aw, who says Hamsters can't have style? That was hilarious!"

Joshua, who was striking at Azazel with a large, slightly curved sword, was now attacking with Naomi as Azazel twirled his large spear around rapidly. "Now THIS is more like it!" Azazel said as they clanged over and over again against his blade. "Tell me, I smell…holy magic coming off of it! Did you bless it right here?" He asked Naomi.

"No!"

CLANG!

"I!"

CLANG!

"Had a friend!"

CLANG!

"Do it!"

CLANG!

"In the!"

CLANG!

"River Jordan!"

CLANG!

"Nice!" Azazel remarked, beaming happily before he quickly ducked, got on one hand and twirled around, knocking them back as he leapt back on his taloned feet and bounced back and forth, spear at the ready. "But this isn't an ORDINARY spear. This pierced Christ's side. It's far more holy an object than that little washed letter opener you have, though it's of a good quality metal, I assure you. If God didn't want me to be his willing servant, do you think I could use it?" He asked, holding it up.

THA-THUNKA!

Azazel was knocked back on his face and he groaned and spat out dirt as he turned to see Rupert emerging from a portal right behind him, scythe held up by the wooden end. He grinned wrly. "Well, even God can get his mind changed." He remarked as Stitch and Angel leapt out of the portal with him. "The rest of you get back to Kokaua Town with Staccato, alright?"

"I have to, ah, make a quick stop." Staccato spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh dear. Is it…Green?" Rupert asked.

"Yes, she's in deep trouble."

"Well…make it quick. Not as quick as beating THIS boob shall be, but…" Hammy said, shrugging.

"Ha-ha-HA." Azazel snickered. "You're a comedian." He laughed, jumping up and holding his hands up. "Now then…**ADVERSOR!**"

He was surrounded in a blazing rainbow light as he clenched his clawed fists and rushed forward, punching Rupert across the face and knocking him into a tree. However, Angel grabbed him with his antennae, tripping him as Stitch jumped up and slammed his fist into his face.

KRA-KRACK!

Azazel gasped as he felt one nostril be broken. He fell to the ground, holding his nose. "YEOOOOOW!" He remarked as Stitch cracked his knuckles. "What was THAT for? I'M not the one who made your brains drip out, you know."

"Yo poormu dissy!" Stitch said angrily in Tantalog.

"OH!" Azazel frowned angrily and jabbed a claw into Stitch's forehead, poking him over and over and making him move back. "DON'T-TALK-ABOUT-MY-MOMMA-LIKE-THAT!"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot who your mom was." Stitch apologized.

Azazel's face returned to its' relaxed look. "THANK you." He said.

THWUNK! He was punched in the stomach through the air and groaned as he got up. "OUCH." He admitted. "That hurt!" He said, leaping up and suddenly rushing along the ground, taking off and slamming fully into Stitch and knocking him across and into Joshua. Naomi's head whipped around to see them collided with a dumpster, and then…

BAM!

Angel collided with HER and she collided with Stitch and Joshua and they all lay in a pile, moaning as Azazel got his lance ready, rushing forward, holding the point high…

BLINK!

The point bounced off a shimmering, shiny white wall and Azazel looked up to see Heartwing was clinging to the wall above the foursome, looking proud.

"Blocked!" He said happily.

Azazel frowned and leapt back, pointing his finger at the shield. "_FIENDFYRE!_" He hissed darkly.

He took a breath, then spread his wings wide, opening his maw as burning white-hot flames rushed forward, taking the shape of a large, fanged dragon that tried to crack the shield…

CLANKA-THUNK!

It bounced harmlessly off the shield as Heartwing fluttered around in the air. Azazel blinked stupidly, then held one hand up as a swirling white orb formed, the wind rippling around it. He launched it at the shield…

THWOCKA!

It richoeted back and hit him the chest, making him be knocked to the ground as Heartwing landed on the ground, jumping up and down. "Blocked and blocked and blocked again!" He called out happily, clapping his hands. "You can't touch them!"

Sandy then cleared his throat as Azazel got back up, twirling his lance and intending to begin the fight anew with 421. The Beautiful Angel turned his head. "Yes? Something to say?" He asked politely.

_**"Haturdrat amurtee...alanot agan...hatoom on hataged...ortunoohc atoocha!"**_ Sandy sang out.

Azazel blinked his eyes, looking Sandy over as he stood there.

"Wow. That…you're a REALLY good singer." He complimented. "That was your mother's song reversed, right? But, uh…" He held his lance up. "I'm not evil." He explained, holding it up to throw it.

Heartwing leapt in the way, and with a PING the lance bounced off the shield. Azazel frowned angrily and rushed forward. "How can this sacred object be blocked by YOU?" He wondered out loud, continuing to strike against the shield over and over as it gave off brilliant sparks. People began to crowd around closer as he continued to lash against the shield, with Vic picking Angel, Stitch, Joshua and Naomi up and they all looked the scene over.

"Will you keep it DOWN!" Carmen yelled, sticking her head out of the window of a nearby house. _"¡Algunos de nosotros estamos en medio de dar a luz, estúpido!" _

"…uhhh…what?" Azazel asked.

"She said, some of us are in the middle of giving birth, stupid." Frank explained, sticking HIS head out of the window. "Like my SISTER!"

"Oh. Uh…**oops**?" The Beautiful Angel said, blushing.

"What are you confused about?" Heartwing asked innocently, tilting his head to the side as he sat on the ground the same way a dog sits and looks at it's master.

"I just do not UNDERSTAND. You should not be this strong, my originator!" Azazel yelled. "Your light is mighty, but I wield a relic of **God** himself!"

He flew up into the air, silhouetted against the sky. _**"East meets West and angels sing…voices resound with a righteous ring!" **_He raised his right hand up high and a swirling white/gold ball of light began to form, pulsing like a living heart. _**"North meets South and angels cry…unholy power darkens the sky!" **_Now a black/silver orb formed in his right hand, and it too began to pulse. He threw them both down at Heartwing, who's chest insignia glowed brightly, the white heart pulsing as he lay on his back, looking upwards with interest.

SHUDDA-THWOOOOOOOM!

Dust was sprayed everywhere and people had to shield their eyes to keep it from blinding them. Sandy frowned deeply. "Heartwing!" He cried out. "Are you alright?"

"Okey-dokey!" Heartwing cheered back. "Kinda…dusty out here." He admitted as the dust cleared, showing he now had a brown tint to him from the dust. He quickly shook it all off the way a dog gets water off his body as Azazel flapped down to the ground, looking absolutely astonished, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"You're…stronger than me?" He asked. "But that's not _possible_, not if I'm truly-" And then he stopped. "Unless…maybe…it's not that…you're strong…it's that…I'M weak…" He wondered. "Unless maybe…I…"

He suddenly shuddered and the lance fell from his hands as the realization came to him, hard anf fast. He looked down at his hands as his body began to shake heavily and Heartwing felt the presence of an evil enter the immediate area…a presence that made his eyes widen.

"Azzy, wait…" He spoke quietly, holding a hand up.

"I'm not succeeding…because…I'm…WRONG." Azazel realized. "I was…WRONG…all this time? God…is this…_true_?" He asked, looking up at the sky.

The answer he got must have been "yes". The way his eyes widened, mouth opening slightly, body turning stock still. And then…then he looked back down at his hands, trembling more savagely before he gripped his head and began to shake more and more madly.

"My mind…is in _darkness_…" He whispered. "God…God I'm **SICK**!" He gasped, looking down at his hands as he saw them being covered in blood, eyes widening in horror. "I've been USED!" He gasped. He fell to his knees and looked up at the sky, tears brimming in his eyes. "And you KNEW…_ALL THE TIME!_" He screamed as his body began to change back to his more experimental form.

"God…God I'll never know…why you chose me…" He slammed his fists into the ground, sobbing madly. **"For your crime! Your FOUL…BLOODY…CRIIIIIME!** He wailed.

"Azzy, _NO_…" Heartwing begged, now crying tearfully as Azazel stood up in his more humanoid form, staggering around, gripping his head, tears pouring down his cheeks as the intensity of the music filled his ears and he shook madly. Finally he tripped over something and he looked down at it, eyes widening as the evil presence made itself all too clear…

_**"You have MURDERED MEEEEE!"**_ Azazel screamed to the heavens as he held the spear up. _**"You have murdered me, murdered me, m-murdered me!"**_ He wailed as he drove the spear into the ground and Naomi realized what he was about to do and stepped forward, paw held up as he positioned himself and continued to scream and accuse. _**"M-MURDERED ME, MURDERED ME, **__**MURDERED ME, MURDERED**__**!"**_

**SCHLUCKA****!**

Heartwing paled, turning stock still. Rupert rubbed his head and looked up in horror at the sight as the red blood pooled ominously on the ground.

"…he…_hung_…himself…" Naomi murmured, covering her mouth.

Nobody spoke. They just let the body stand there. As beautiful as he had been in life, his pristine appearance had now become…solemn and sad in death. He looked pitiful now. Very much so.

Finally Heartwing walked up to the body and hugged it tightly, sobbing as beautiful white tears poured down his cheeks. White walked over as well, closing Azazel's alluring eyes and walking off, slowly vanishing into the distance as he headed to his friend's dojo…

…

…

…

…elsewhere, Samael was calmly looking his claws over as an infuriated Zoburg paced back and forth, with Nightwing giving Sue a very sensual back massage whilst he tickled her chest with his tail. Tak had gone off with Frequency to deal with Green, Junior and the Grand Councilman, and Two had taken off for Kokaua Town, where Jack was brooding, lying in wait and working on his new plan which he was taking control of under the cover of the mist.

"How dare he, how DARE he…" Zoburg growled angrily, claws clenching tightly in his gloves. "All of our bases are destroyed! My plans…up in smoke…"

"I have always disagreed with the pacifistic Muridean line." Samael remarked. "Hence why I cursed their ruling family…but you cannot deny they have a certain degree of STYLE." He added.

Zoburg angrily kicked the ground. "Now we're stuck sitting in a…a BAR!"

"You know, I could always kick you out." The Vendor spoke up, frowning as he poked his head out from behind the veil. He then grinned wryly and headed back behind the veil, leaving them in the back room.

"Why didn't you suck him up?" Zoburg snapped at Samael.

"Well…ideally…I COULD." Samael remarked. "OR I could open up a portal that will take you directly to where Zim and Kila are now located." He said.

Zoburg's eyes widened.

"And…it's the same place Darth is located at. Apparently he's been trying to track them down for the past few weeks. Now I know how much you dislike all three for various reasons…your hand…several disputed scientific awards…and, ah…" Samael grinned and showed off all his blood red teeth. "There was that incident with the SINK…"

"Take me there NOW." Zoburg hissed angrily.

Samael smiled and flicked his wrist. A swirling black and purple portal opened in the wall and the two stepped through it as Nightwing grinned and nuzzled Sue's cheek. They were alone…it was time to set his plan in motion.

"My mistress, I have sensed the way you look at me. You know how deeply I want to prove my loyalty to you." He said. "And, to be honest, you look very…pretty…" He added shyly.

"Are you suggestin' what I think you're suggestin'?" Sue asked, looking lustily at him.

"Well…"

"I'd LOVE to." She agreed. "Your mistress would like you to _please_ me." She told Nightwing.

Inwardly, he grinned in a deeply dark fashion. Outwardly, he allowed a hint of pure joy to seep out on his features before he nodded obediently.

"Excuse me!" He called out. The Vendor poked his head in and adjusted his sunglasses. "Do you know where we could find a room with a…bed?"

The Vendor grinned and stepped fully inside the room. "That…will cost extra."

Nightwing coughed, then with a HA-HAAAACK he spat up a very large diamond and deposited into the Vendor's hand. The man looked a LITTLE grossed out, but his obvious pleasure at holding something worth so much overcame his disgust and he cleaned it off with his shirt. He did look confused though. "Your STOMACH? What else do you keep in there?"

"It's just **gems**." Experiment 561 explained, shrugging. "They're good for dragons. They aid in digestion, freshen the breath, aid in helping us breath fire, the benefits go on and on!"

"Any gems that increase your sex drive?" The Vendor asked slyly.

"Oh, I don't need any natural male enhancement for THAT." Nightwing said as the Vendor led them to a crimson-walled room with a VERY plush-looking bed shaped like a heart with dark drapes over the windows and a big lock on the door. He nodded at the Vendor, who left them alone as Nightwing locked the door.

Sue nervously blushed as Nightwing looked her over. He had gently removed every ounce of clothing and was now about to officially please his mistress for the first time…to make sure she felt the most beautiful of pleasures he could give.

He placed the gloves to the side as he reached for her cheek and caressed it with his golden claws. Her skin had tiny, tiny scales, and almost reminded him of a snake's scales as he rubbed her chin in a circular fashion. Sue closed her eyes as he leaned in and his tongue found hers, and the two began to kiss.

She was unaware of the small, dark aura that was dripping off his feet and surrounding the bed they were on, momentarily forming a seal underneath he bed before vanishing. Dark energy, which he produced, was not simply POWERED by dark emotions, it could FUEL them. Not all emotions that were dark were evil. Anger, sorrow, they had their places, and it was right for people to hate occasionally, to hate evil acts. Even _lust_, Nightwing knew, was dark but useful. If used properly, it led to love.

Right now, he was making her lust spike to unbelievable levels. She wanted him. BADLY. He could feel her body sing out for his caress, which he happily provided as he leaned in closer to her and began to slip inside.

Soon their hips were touching and Nightwing was smiling lovingly down at her as she beamed happily.

_Oh this feels good oh it feels so goooood…_

Nightwing began the process as Sue moaned happily, clinging tightly to him with her ungloved hands, pink eyes shut tight.

_Oh more-more-more, gimme MORE, gimme MOOOORE!_

A steady, pulsing, thick rhythm of lust as she let out happy cries of joy as Nightwing's smile, though she could not see it in her sweet abandon, was the work of demons.

_Oh that's it, yes yes yes yes yes yes yeeeeeeees…_

…

…

…

…Nightwing panted heavily as he placed Sue's unmoving body into the chair he'd kept her clothes in. A beautiful, blissful feeling filled him as he looked upon his handiwork, seeing he mixture of pleasure and pain that was forever etched onto Sue's face, which was never to open it's eyes again. He smiled happily to himself as he thought about what he'd done, how…kind he had been. He had given her a very…**passionate** death. It was not often that dragonkind showed such deep passion to non-draconic beings who they were not close to. Picking up somebody at the bar for his kind meant they were more likely to EAT them then they were to have a wild night out.

"Thank you for your contribution." He told Sue. "You were an EXCELLENT source of pleasure. Sadly, it appears you couldn't handle the mercy I offered you." He admitted.

There was a knock on the door. "You finished in there?" The Vendor called out.

"Oh VERY much so." Nightwing called back. He opened the door and walked past the Vendor as the human looked inside.

"**JESUS TITTY-F-KING CHRIIIIIIIST!**" The formerly amoral weapons seller screamed, seeing Sue's body. "YOU DIGUSTING-" He whirled around…

The dark dragon was already long gone.

…

…

…

… "So tell me again." Eve said as she walked alongside with Grey as they made their way back to the church. Nick, Lilo and Page had been making sure that, if nothing else, the church and all the buildings around it were safe. People were now spending a great deal of time in there. It wasn't such a bad thing though, Myr had everybody singing "Harvey and Sheila" inside the choir hall that was attached to the chapel. "How many girlfriends you've had?"

"Well…I, uh…I guess one girlfriend and one very, VERY big crush that happened to be a good, dear friend…" Grey admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as she laid her head against his shoulder. They were unaware of the small pink orb that had made it's way from Jacques all the way to Kokaua Town. "Kila went for Zim and Ewa Lani…well…" He bit his lip.

Mehjen was trying to plant some flowers out at the front of the church as the Executioner held a water gun over the rest of them. "And you will know my name is the LORD when I lay my vengeance upon thee!" He shouted, unloading the water gun's contents over the tulips.

Grey and Ewa Lani saw this and they raised their respective eyebrows as the Executioner twirled the gun and stuck it back in his pocket expertly. "Bulb Fiction." He wisecracked. "I heard you mention Ewa Lani. She's family, you know."

"I didn't know she was racist." Grey found himself muttering. "She said she wasn't READY for "somebody like me"…"

"Yeah. Somebody like you who couldn't handle himself." Another voice called out. Grey's head shot up and he looked at her…the girl herself was standing there in the opening of the church, with Page by her side. "You weren't able to HANDLE being who you were! You were ASHAMED of being a beast. You think I couldn't see that when you were dating? You were afraid of holding hands because you didn't want to cut me with your claws! You didn't eat meat in front of me because you were afraid you'd get messy! And your excuse for missing dates because you had "fleas"…you think I couldn't hear the shame in your voice when I heard that?"

Grey blinked stupidly. "So…you broke up with me…because you couldn't handle me being ashamed of being who I was?"

"Now you get it." She said, going to him and taking his hand. "You've got to stop being afraid of yourself and what you can do, that's what I wanted to tell you, but you never wanted to talk to me after that." She went on. "But now it looks like you HAVE accepted who you are."

She then kissed his cheek. "I was hoping one day you might come back, but I just want you happy right now. And you seem really happy." She added. "Now…wanna come inside? Page has made brownies."

"The secret ingredient is-"

"Love?" Eve asked.

"Nope. _Pot_."

"WHAT?"

"Kidding!" Page laughed. "I'm allowed to be a little bit of a prankster, aren't I?" He told them all as he led them inside.

Or at least, he WOULD have, but suddenly an earthquake made the entire place shake like the hills themselves were dancing. Eve fell to the ground, gasping…

And then Grey felt something worm it's way past him, slithering like a serpent before it wrapped around Eve's leg and YANKED her into the mist with a scream.

"EEEEEVE!" He yelled as the others ran into the church, save for Page.

"Grey, come on, we need to get help!"

"I gotta help Eve!" Grey yelled, rushing through the mist, panting heavily, pushing and shoving past bushes and trees and mailboxes as he rushed towards her scent. But unfortunately in his haste he was not paying attention to the GROUND, and he tripped and hit the street hard as a pot hole interrupted his charge. He growled angrily and stood up. "Damn this clumsy…how am I supposed to track her! I can't SMELL her anymore…" He realized. "And I can't see through this fog…" He moaned. "I need help…"

It was then that the pink orb sailed down and bounced off his head, floating in front of him. He looked it over with his green/black eyes and then stood up, picking it up in his claws.

It seemed…rather tasty-looking. He shrugged and popped it into his mouth, swallowing whole.

**POOF!**

An ENORMOUS burst of wind swept away all the mist near the church and the people within looked at what had done it. A shimmering beam of light was erupting into the heavens where Grey had been standing. Eyes widening, Page led them all outside to look Grey over as the light began to fade. At first…it was hard to look upon him, he seemed to be GLOWING…

"You…alright?" Nacht inquired. "What was that that just happened?"

"I…ate a pink orb. It just floated in front of me."

"You ate something that just popped in front of you?" Nacht remarked. He then slapped his forehead. "Honestly, sometimes you can be as dumb as a…OH…MY…" He gasped.

"What?" Grey asked, looking confused as he turned to look them over.

Nacht, quivering, spread his palms out and his power activated, and a glassy mirror began to form between his hands. He spread it out so Grey could look himself over, and when Grey saw himself in the mirror, he realized WHY everybody in the crowd, his mother and father included, were looking upon him with a mixture of confusion, fear and awe…

He had been transformed into a human. A teenage human. What he had been before…before the great change. His hair remained long and thick, but he had his mother's potato nose very visibly, and beautiful green eyes that were vibrant and filled with life. He had QUITE the well-built body…it was not a bodybuilder-type, but muscular all the same. He wore a white t-shirt and a blue pair of jeans with white sneakers and he had tanned brownish/white skin, a blend of his mother and father's skin type.

"I'm…" He felt his cheeks with fingers that had FINGERNAILS. Not claws… "I'm _human_…" He whispered.

But then he blinked. "Eve…EVE!" He yelled, turning around and seeing Jack's outline on the rooftop, laughing. "YOU! What did you do to her, Jack!"

"Well-well-well, weren't YOU the looker back in the day?" Jack laughed. "Anyhow, you want your precious Eve, you'd better go FIND her. She's hidden away, far from you…but I'd be more worried about yourself and your precious "oohana". You see, that wasn't the ONLY thing I've let loose." He added.

"Let loose from WHAT?" The Executioner demanded to know, holding a rifle up.

"There's been so many deaths around here…" Jack held up a swirling crystal ball with a bug crawling around inside and grinned wryly. "This gift from my benefactor has allowed me to reach beyond the realm of life and into death…to bring forth many who perished across the realms. And you know, they're not too happy about the people who killed them here!"

Lilo turned pale. She had no idea how many AU monsters might emerge in Kokaua Town but she didn't want to know. She quickly shouted "Everyone into the church! Now!" And people began shuffling quickly back inside as Myr led them back in and Nacht turned to the Executioner and Mehjen. "We need to keep anything from getting in and to the townspeople." He said.

"I've got to find my son." Nick said, smacking his fist into his palm.

"Nick, NO." Lilo began.

"He's not in his usual form! He's more vulnerable!" Nick insisted. "Your power means you can keep people safer longer. My son NEEDS me, Lilo!"

Lilo took his hand. "Be careful. Bring him back." She then kissed him on the lips deeply and Nick raced off into town as Jack laughed madly and something curled it's claws around the roof he was standing on as Nacht frowned deeply.

"Here they come…" He whispered.

…

…

…

…Green panted quickly as she and Rueben raced down the hallways to try and outrun the mist, with a group of Galactic senators surrounding them. "This is ridiculous!" She yelled angrily. "You don't have ANY precedents for something like this?" She asked Rueben.

"Yeah, but we need to go down this hall and then take the third right if we're going to reach the only "precedent" that I established fer a situation like this, Greenie!" He told her as he rushed alongside her.

PING! Another sniper bullet ricocheted off the wall and the Muridean senator shrieked. "GREER!" Rueben snapped. "Grow a pair!"

"You'll have to excuse him." Junior insisted. "From what I've read, you got into this job to AVOID being shot at, correct?"

"Ohhh, you read my autobiography?" Greer von Hamsterviel asked. "I'm touched! Say, how is your father?"

"Oh, he's doing fine." Junior remarked.

"How come he has your last name?" Orion wanted to know.

"ALL the pure-blood families are related on Jennet." Green explained, recalling her history lessons. "There's a lot of inter-breeding. There's probably five "Hamsterviel" family lines, all of them would be described as being half-brothers and sisters of each other…"

"Yeah, my grandma apparently got around a lot…" Junior admitted. "Dad used to tell me that his dad always told his mother whenever he cheated on her and she'd make a nick in the wall by the kitchen every time he did. By the time he'd turned MY age, there wall looked like somebody had tossed it into a shredder and-"

BANG!

"**YEEEEEK**!" Greer jumped into Junior's arms as Rueben gasped and clutched his forehead. It had skimmed and blown away some skin off the top.

"Dang…he nicked me…" Rueben hissed. "He's got better aim than I thought. Where's he even shooting from?"

"That's what I'D like to know…" Orion admitted as he pulled Sara along with him, the gems in the middle of their chests glowing.

"Uh, how come you're lighting up like a Christmas tree?" The no-nosed Arcadian senator spoke up, adjusting his glasses.

"That's a "Faith Extension"." Green realized out loud. "It's a living symbol of the faith two lovers have in each other solidified into a crystal that glows whenever that love is being threatened. I suppose since we are in mortal danger…"

"Yes, but on the other hand, they DO give you a very long, youthful life." Orion went on. "Maybe you and Junior here…" He added gently.

Green blushed, but then another BANG made Rueben howl and hit the ground. "AAAAH!" He screamed. "My freakin' FOOT! You a-hole!" He yelled back.

"SORRY!" Frequency's voice rang out. "Tak startled me, dudes."

"YOU IDIOT!" Tak screeched. "Now they know I'M here too!"

"Oh. Whuzzit supposed ta be a secret?"

"C'mon, c'mon." Sara said, picking Rueben up as they all made their way into the doorway Rueben had described earlier. The door slid shut and locked as they all sat down in a library-like room with books lining the walls and big, plushy benches and chairs in front of the books. There was a picture of people sitting around a library reading books and the words "Get up to speed: read" underneath it in a motivational text.

"We take the kids in here on field trips." Rueben explained as he was set down onto one of the chairs.

"Why would you have us-" Green began.

"This place also happens to be a gateway room." Junior spoke up. They all turned to look at him. "I read it in "A History of Galactic Democracy". He added with a touch of pride. "I've been reading it for years. I also looked up the plans for the BUILDING of GFA HQ…I know all the secret entrances and the inner workings. I had to, uh…hack a little to get the private stuff…" He added nervously. "I was just so eager to find out more, I couldn't help it."

"I ain't gonna fault you." Rueben insisted as Orion looked the wound over. "AH! Is it…bad?" He asked Orion.

"The wound looks…rather nasty. It went right through your foot. And that shot on your head…" He added softly.

Junior held up his paw, the blue ring upon one digit glowing as it formed a golden cup filled up with a soothing-scented pinkish liquid. Junior smiled gently at Rueben and knelt by his side.

_**Try not to get worried, try not to turn onto problems that upset you…  
Don't you know everything's alright yes, everything's fine…  
And I want you to sleep well toniiight! Let the world turn without you toniiight!  
If we tryyy, we'll get by, so forget all about things toniiight…**_

He held the cup up to Rueben for him to take and Rueben looked it over, looking nervous.

_**Relax, this shall sooth you, calm you and will help you,  
It'll be good for your head…don't you know everything's alright yes, everything's fine…  
It's cool, yes, and very sweeeeet…for the fire in your head and feet…  
Close your eyes, close your eyes, just relax, think of nothing…  
At aaaaaall…**_

Rueben took a deep sip of the potion and he felt a calming, balmy affect fill him. It was like he'd been roasting and was now being led into an air-conditioned room. He let out a long, happy sigh as he laid back against the wall, the wound slowly healing before everyone's eyes as Junior took the cup away and allowed Rueben to sleep.

"He should be fine here." He said. "There's no other way in except through that door, which we've locked, and-"

One of the bookcases slid open and everybody jumped up…

Green's eyes went wide. Her mouth went dry. Junior gaped. Rueben jolted up and stammered at the sight of the two people that a green, gold and silver-armored, brown-haired robot were leading in along with a blind Irken who had balled antennae…the two people that were a small Irken with ruby-like eyes and an experiment with mouse-like ears and amber/gold eyes.

"I KNEW they would be hiding here!" Staccato said happily. "I KNEW it!" He told them all.


	29. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**  
_Death is…complicated._

_Rupert has explained over and over again to me that he does not really ENJOY his job, but he does it with a certain amount of pride because he was chosen for it, and he wants to be the absolute best at it that he can. To…well…show off when he can, I suppose._

_The smile on his face always vanishes whenever he talks about how people react to death. Most are surprised…upset…some get very angry. Some beg, plead. They always seem to think that it's personal, because the moment he puts his hood down and they see his face…_

_Death is not nearly as scary as people would think. It is a transition, according to many religions. It is a change in status. You go from being alive to being something beyond alive. As Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows put it, "The Last Enemy That Will Be Destroyed Is Death"._

_Ironically, Rupert's greatest joy comes in being a doctor and PRESERVING life, not taking it away. He's not afraid of death, he's said it over and over again and every time he says it, I know he means it._

_It's what comes AFTER that bothers people._

_…what DOES come after?_

Azazel woke with a start.

He was aware that people were…sucking things away…with vacuum cleaners, by the sound of things. LARGE ones. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, dusting himself off as he looked around the place that he had ended up in.

It was unmistakably solemn, but…beautiful. It was perhaps the absolute LARGEST city he had ever been in. The stars in the night sky were reflected off of the skyscrapers, all twinkling brightly , slowly, as if in a musical pattern. There was a large moon, hanging sickle-like in the sky, and it cast it's rays down gently onto the city.

People were rushing all around with big vacuums that emerged from large blue backpacks which each cleaner had on their back. All of the people were various species…human, experiment, magical creature, a few dozen angels and demons here and there…some were HUGE, towering up above the city, others were verrrry tiny, the size of his hand.

"We got another one comin' in!"

Azazel turned around to see a woman on a parade float that was in the shape of a large island with a huge palm tree. There were dozens of flowers all around the palm tree island and they appeared to be made entirely of rubies and orange and white gems, making them look like embers of a fire. The female experiment on the parade float had a clipboard in hand and was pointing left and right at the various people rushing around.

"We got another one coming in, we need this place spic and span! C'mon, let's go-go-go and get these DISGUSTING Vorago patches outta here!" She yelled out. She had fur that was rather much like the color of slightly dried blood, and deeply dark eyes with golden slits for pupils. She had dark crimson hair atop her head that was currently covering up her horns, and a spiked tail, with red-tipped digits on her paws and pointed ears.

She flexed her crimson wings and looked at the clipboard. "I see Sector Five's not clean yet! Mary, Mother of God, what's the hold up? The longer that stuff stays there…"

She then looked up over the clipboard and saw Azazel. She raised a nonexistent eyebrow up and then smirked. "Welly-welly-welly-welly-weeeeell! Look who graces us with his presence. Boy, you sure did somethin' dumb. Well anyhow, I'll call Page up and open a portal so he can talk to you and explain things."

"Uncle Page is…wait…" Azazel rubbed his eyes. "Where am I?" He asked.

"Purgatory." Experiment 593, aka Heatwave explained. "This is Purgatory." She told him, turning to the side and holding up a small red button that said "EASY" on it in big white letters.

BEEP!

"That was easy!" It said as a white portal ripped open in time and space, allowing a voice to call out from the other side.

"Yes?"

"He's here." Heatwave said.

"Ahhhhh. I knew it would happen eventually. Okay, I'll be right in. Lilo, keep the chorus going, we need people to keep optimistic." Page stepped in through the portal and onto the street, heading over to Azazel and shaking his hand as he looked up at the taller being. "Good to see you're alright." He insisted.

"But I'm…DEAD." Azazel remarked.

"Oh yes. I don't deny that. Or your sufferings, which I am sure were severe." Page added as they sat on the float as Heatwave looked through the list.

"Well, since you came EARLY, we can check you off…and now we can show you around where you'll be workin'." She told Azazel.

"Workin'?"

"A lot of the time, yeah." Heatwave went on. "You see, when a person reaches a point in their life where they are filled with guilt and remorse and other feelings like that which well up in them at death, they get sent here." She said, pointing at Purgatory. "For those that have done some…well, DAMAGE to the world and to others while in Life, they've gotta work their debt off until, at last, they can go on."

"Go where?" Azazel asked.

Heatwave just smiled enigmatically. Page continued. "You did both a great deal of good and some considerably terrible things in your life, that is why you are here. You still have the potential to be a very good person."

"I don't deserve it." Azazel said softly. "I…I mean, I…" He began to cry, tears running down his cheeks as he wiped his golden/amber eyes. "I KILLED MYSELF! And I slew myself in despair, those…those are the unforgivable sins…"

Then Page gently reached up and held Azazel's cheek, looking into him deeply with his pond-like eyes. The gentle, calming feeling that was both cool and warm, that Azzy hadn't felt in ages, now flowed through him, and he heard his uncle say words that had first inspired him to "the Path" so long ago…

"There is absolutely nothing in this world that is so terrible that it cannot be redeemed…and there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin, my son. God loves, and thus forgives anything and everything." Page told him.

And with that, peace gently descended upon Azazel's form as he quivered and finally hugged his uncle tightly, a lifetime of tears coming out, sobbing apologies and weeping heavily all throughout. Page just gently patted him on the back, continuing to return the hug.

Eventually, they came to a stop and Azazel looked up to see he was in a deep, dark grove of trees. They seemed slightly imposing, but…there was music coming from inside of the forest. It sounded very joyful and rather like…

"Is that…Symphony Number Nine? Ode to Joy?" He asked.

"Yep!" Heatwave said happily. "Let's go on in."

She took his hand. It felt very much like holding onto a mug of hot cocoa. She led him through the forest with Page right behind and the singing and playing of musical instruments got louder. Soon he saw why…it was an ENORMOUS concert hall located in the center of the forest, with about eighteen Murideans all playing violins, cellos, flutes and various other instruments.

"Okay, that was good, sehr gut, ser gut!" A green-eyed Muridean with thick brown locks atop his head laughed, his ponytail falling back against his neck. "Laten we proberen het nog een keer, zullen we?" He asked.

"Oui!" They called back.

"Right! Un! Duex! Trois!" He exclaimed.

_**Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heeeeeiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, was die Mode streng geteilt: alle Menschen werden Brüder, wo dein snafter Flügel weilt!**_

"Ja, dat is fantastisch! Keep it up-Oh!" The white-furred Muridean turned around. "Oh. Can I help you, Miss Heatwave?"

"Azazel here needs to head down "there". Into Hell. His girlfriend is currently in Android Hell, being viciously spanked by her mother."

"Well…can we not…WAIT maybe…a few weeks?"

"By the time you run out of excuses, it WILL have been a few weeks." Heatwave remarked, rolling her eyes. "So c'mon, Chuck."

"Don't call me CHUCK! My name is Charles du Bunnygalle!" Charles moaned, rubbing his forehead temples. "Very well."

He held up his baton and tapped the air, then drew a doorway. A moment later, one popped up to the far right.

"You want me to go down and…bring Miyu here?"

"You still love her. And you want to save her. I can tell!" Charles remarked. "I've got Empathic powers, it was one of the reasons why Samael cursed my family. He didn't want any Hamsterviels to be spreading "compassion" to their relatives. The potential was too dangerous for him. He needed my family as evil as possible, so he cursed us and made all of our lives awful, especially when we were trying to be good. I tried to set up a democratic state, I lost my head. When Esme got pacifistic and wanted to become a comedian to make people laugh, she ended up dead in the hospital. My nephew tried to be a "good guy" and what happens? He's attacked constantly on all sides by people that wanna eat him or stick him up their-"

"I get the idea." Azazel said quickly. "So…why are you here?"

"This is where I belong." Charles said. "All the Murideans behind me are other Hamsterviels across the Nexus. I help them connect with each other and other people here in Purgatory. Kind of…like a therapist." He admitted. "But enough about me. Your girlfriend is in Hell. Go get her."

"…and then I'll come back here?" Azazel asked.

"Yep. Two is in grave danger…he might end up here as well. Frequency I'm not so sure of." Heatwave admitted.

"Do not pity the dead too much." Page insisted. "Pity those who live without love, those who do not know HOW to love. You were loved and that is why you can share that feeling with her…with Miyu. You can teach her how to love and you will teach others who come here how to love."

Azazel blinked. "Of Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest of these virtues is love." He thought to himself. "I'll do it." He said, reaching for the door. "…Uncle Page?" He asked.

"Yes, my dear?" Page inquired.

"What if…Snizzi doesn't let me go into her Hell?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Page asked gently. "After all, you were chosen by God."

That familiar presence filled Azazel. He found his body changing back to his draconic form and he adjusted his armor one more time before entering the door and descending down a long flight of steps, knowing that at the end, _she_ would be there.

…

…

…

…the first thing Green did was embrace her mother and father deeply, clinging so tightly to them that she almost snapped them in half. It wasn't long before Zim managed to squeak out that he could not breathe well enough, she let him go and beamed at him through tear-filled eyes.

"So you figured out I was hidin' em?" Rueben asked. "How?"

"You always were a big friend of Kila's. But I'd like to know where you got the power to hide them from even ME!" Staccato asked. "I mean, I'm an archangel." He admitted. "It's slightly…unnerving. You didn't use any "infernal" spells, did you?" He asked Rueben, putting his hands on his hips.

"NO! No way!" Rueben insisted. "Absolutely not." He shook his head rapidly. "I've had somebody else helping me. One of Sara's children." He added, nodding at Sara and Orion.

"Who?" Green asked.

"He's around here somewhere. He's the Secret-Keeper and I'M the Secret-Keeper for him, so as long as we don't reveal his name to the bad guys, we'll be able to keep him a secret." Rueben explained. "But I think I can trust you, so once my…ahhh…" He rubbed his legs. "Once these are less sore, I'll take you to where he is."

"Shouldn't take more than a few minutes." Junior insisted.

"Thank you for helpin'." Rueben told Junior. "Yer a good kid, you really are."

This made Junior blush deeply, and he covered his mouth. Darth went on.

"We found out where they were when I used my psionic powers to track them down. I was feeling Zim's thoughts lingering around, and then I felt KILA's as well. I addressed them out loud when I was sure I was close enough and they revealed themselves to me and Staccato." Darth went on.

"Thanks, Darithil." Kila laughed.

"Please, don't call me by my full name." Darth requested.

"But it's fun to say!" Kila remarked.

"Sounds like a high elf's name. You know. Tolkeinesque?" One senator spoke up, rubbing the chin of his octopus-like head with a long, clawed hand.

"…is that…an illithid?" Zim croaked out.

"Uh, okay, I'm in the dark, what's wrong with Illithids?" Staccato asked, looking confused.

"They. Eat. BRAINS!" Kila squeaked as Green began to pantomime how an Illithid sucked out somebody's brain from the top of their skull, making Darth REALLY glad he could not see.

"Yeah, but not in a freakin' CRISIS SITUATION!" The Illithid senator snapped.

BANG! The door got a nick on it and everybody was dead quiet.

"Ummmm…maybe one of us should go out and find Mr. "I Can Be A Secret Keeper" so he can keep US hidden long enough for us to kill those two!" Sara suggested.

"Would Tak and Frequency kill a child?" Staccato asked Green.

"…I don't know." Green admitted. "At least…not about Frequency. He might hurt them but hate himself for it…"

"And Tak?" Staccato asked Darth.

"…" Darth hung his head. He appeared to be ashamed of saying what was on his mind. But they could sense the answer was an obvious "She probably would".

"Junior, you don't fight." Green admitted. "But if somebody tries to get in, you need to DEFEND, understand?" She insisted.

"I don't care if I have to rip my own TAIL off to reel them back from the others, I will do it." Junior swore. "I swear it upon my tail!"

Well, THAT was serious. Swearing on your tail was an enormous deal to a Muridean. It was essentially the equivalent of "May my dick fall off if I'm lyin' to you". Most Murideans would rather kill themselves than live without a tail. It was a "masculine" thing.

Senator Greer immediately curled his own tail up and clung to it tightly, shivering. Ignoring this coward, Green nodded. "Okay. Mom…I'm gonna need your help. Darth, you too. Dad, Staccato, stay here…DO NOT LET ANYBODY IN." She insisted. "ANYBODY." She added.

"I will protect Junior, Rueben and the others with my life." Staccato swore, holding up his sword. It read "Hope" on the hilt, shining in golden letters.

They quickly opened the door, cast looks back at their friends and family, and the threesome rushed outside, closing the door behind them and sneaking off through the mist. Junior turned to Rueben and knelt by his leg.

"Hmm. It LOOKS like your foot wound is almost healed." He told Rueben. "Grand Councilman, it won't be long before we'll be able to move you out of here."

There was a sudden chill filling the air and Staccato stiffened. "Ohno." He squeaked out. "Sam's come…"

"Samael is coming HERE?" Rueben squeaked out. "He killed my Blubber Butt Buddy…" He whimpered, eyes filled with fear.

"He's NOT killing you." Junior insisted. "Senator, I will protect you with my life."

"No offense kid, but you don't look that tough." Greer von Hamsterviel remarked angrily. "Can you even shoot a gun?"

"…well…my father can't…so he didn't teach me…and my mom only really used a SHOTGUN, and we don't have any of those here and she didn't teach me how to use one of those anyway so-"

"Dumkopf!" Greer groaned. "So you're useless!"

"YOU'RE the one who was clutching his tail like the farmer's wife was going to cut if off with a carving knife." Zim said wryly. That shut the rat up.

"Wow. Thanks!" Junior remarked. "Why are you stickin' up for me?"

"I admit that…not all of your father's ideas are…stupid." Zim admitted as he pulled open his lab jacket to reveal a big three-digited thumbs up that said "Scientists Do It In Your Lab".

"Are ya lovin' it like I am?" He asked eagerly.

…

…

…

…Meanwhile, Two looked back and forth, eyes glimmering as he slunk along the walls of the GFA HQ. He looked left, then right, then carefully tip-toed up the stairs through the mist, trying not to listen to the sounds that were coming from the creeping fog that was slowly seeping around and throughout the building…

"Okay, they're nearby, I KNOW it." He said, looking around the hallway as he continued to sneak through the mist. "There's only one place they'd go and that's in following Mom and Dad." He thought out loud, tip-toeing down the hallway. "They've gotta…"

He walked closer to a closet.

"Be around…"

CLOSER…

"Here…"

CLOSELIER…

"Somewh-"

"SQUEAK!"

Two whipped the door open and was immediately talked by a happy GIR, who hugged his head as Minimoose floated above. "You smell like Mastah!" He announced.

"I've missed seeing you, GIR." Zerinim Two admitted, nodding his head as GIR got off and he looked GIR and Minimoose over. "You don't know who I am, but-"

"Squeakity-squeak-squeak." Minimoose remarked.

"Wow. Really?" Two inquired. "You can tell all that from my appearance alone?"

"Squeaka-squeak."

Two looked down at the insignia on his belt…the very same crest that his Dad had been cherishing for so long. "I knew there was another reason Dad kept you around for so long." He added with a big grin. "Now c'mon, we gotta find them and Green and get out of here."

"WRRRRRRY?" GIR asked.

"Samael never meant to keep his word. He asked us to kill one of our family in exchange for sparing the others and in exchange for power." Two explained. "But he's a goddamn liar. If there's one thing I can tell, it's when somebody is lying through their teeth. He was good at hiding it, but I sensed it all the same. SO…"

He hoisted GIR upon onto his shoulders. "Stay close to me and let's-"

He was suddenly aware of somebody walking out of the mist towards him. "Oh! Uh, sir, are you…al…right?" He squeaked out.

SEVERAL somebodies…with large, tube-like stingers that were stuck inside of their bodies, some of them halfway out of their faces, others lodged in their stomachs.

"I wAnT tO dIeEeEeE!" The Gungan senator screeched out in a horrid wail.

"WaaaaanAAAAAA deeeeaaAAAAAYYYYYY nnnnoooOWWWWWWW!" A senator from Avianos gasped out.

"KiLl…Me…KiLl…PlEaSe…KiLl…" A Turonian senator sobbed. She looked very, very young. He doubted she was over 30.

But he could not bring himself to draw his bow. His eyes went wide with horror and he found himself tearing down the hallway as their cries filled his ears…

**"I WANT TO DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"**

…

…

…

… "PUSH!" Dr. Rupert shouted as he stood by Victoria's side, her husband clinging tightly to her hand. "Somebody explain to me WHY there are no painkillers in this woman's bloodstream?" He wanted to know as he looked her over in the hospital bed at Jerusalem.

"Well, the doctor kinda…had a mental breakdown when the mist came in. Started shoutin' something about god's judgment and blew his head off." A nurse explained. "And most of our painkillers have been used up since the war's been taking a bad turn…"

"I hate this place sometimes." Sandy moaned. "Every single stupid citizen is in the army! What kind of country has EVERY-FREAKIN-CITIZEN in the army? You're NOT attacked every other day!"

"Well when they aren't fighting with their neighbors, the residents of this land fight each other. It's been like that for generations." Naomi admitted.

Heartwing hopped up next to Victoria as Carmen wrung her hands, standing next to Frank and Chopsuey. "Dios mío, my bebe es gonna give birth, why is nobody helping her?" She moaned.

Heartwing placed his hand atop of Victoria's head and closed his eyes, the white heart insignia on his chest glowing. A moment later, Victoria sighed happily. "Ahhhhh." She said, leaning back in the bed. "I feel SO much better."

"…I know that he saved our lives, but…I keep seeing that other one's face when I look at him. I...feel bad for saying this, but don't trust him." Naomi admitted, looking Heartwing over.

"You KNOW, dragons have appeared in Scripture, and not always as evil." A voice called out and they turned around to see a portal opening up…Heatwave stepped through and put her hands on her hips, beaming. "Hey! Charles is managing the others back at Purgatory and Snizzi just sent me a communication that I should check up on you and on "Beloved Green"." She told Victoria. "I guess the kid is gonna be very important to Snizzi one day."

"Dragons? Good? In Scripture?" Naomi asked.

"Raphael became one to show Moses around Sheol and to explain what might happen if the servants of God fail." Heatwave told her, nodding her head.

"Also, Psalms 148, Verse 7." Heartwing spoke up, beaming.

"What?" Naomi asked.

"Psalms 148, Verse 7!" He said cheerfully.

Naomi thought about what the King James Bible, her favorite version, said. "Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps." She thought. "Okay, fine, it's referring to them as normal creatures, animals like any other, I see, I see."

"AND Seraphim comes from the Hebrew words for "burning serpents"…essentially fire-breathing serpents with wings." Heartwing added cheerfully, tilting his head to the side and beaming slightly.

"You mean to tell me that dragonkind might actually have HOLY origins?" Naomi inquired.

Heartwing promptly leapt across the bed and hugged her. Naomi immediately decided to stop arguing. With a little guy like him existing, it was really hard to argue that all his kind were evil.

"OH!" Rupert gasped. "It's crowning!" He yelled, quickly putting gloves on. "Hold on, Victoria. Push! Push!" He insisted.

It was not long before Victoria was holding a little baby girl in her hands…Maria. She had blond hair, like the moustache her father had, and beautiful blue eyes, like Carmen and her mother had…and green and white fur on her body as Victoria's father had.

"Awww, she's got your mom's eyes, your smile, Hogan…" Dr. Rupert began, looking her over as he patted her on the head. Then he frowned deeply and handed her back to Victoria as he wiped himself off. "And your Uncle's habit of peeing on me when I'm examining him for medical purposes!" He added with a "harrumph" as he looked over at Stitch and Angel, who were staying by Grendella's side. She was still a few days away from giving birth.

"You really should tell them to go into a ROOM to do the urine samples." Sandy admitted as Naomi began to laugh so hard her knees buckled. Stitch blushed at this.

Heartwing stiffened up suddenly. "Ohana needs help!" He announced, jumping out the window and screaming across the sky.

"WOW. He's FAST." Heatwave remarked as she turned back to the portal, then swirled it around in the opposite direction. A moment later, it showed off the Galactic HQ.

"Well, I'm off!" She said.

"I'm comin' too." Carmen said, putting her hands on her hips. "My family here, they are safe, mi familia THERE, not so much, no." She shook her head.

"And my SON is in danger." Rupert spoke up, pointing upward. "I must away to him! POSTHASTE!" He insisted.

"Well, you got balls, that's for sure. I give you points for spunk." Heatwave decided, rubbing her chin. "Fine. But if you get your tail blown off…"

Rupert flinched at this and immediately his tail curled up.

"Don't blame me. C'mon!"

And with that, the threesome stepped into the portal. They soon found themselves surrounded by frightening, deeply damp mist…and there were moans and whispers all around.

"¿Cuál es que zumbando ruido?" Carmen inquired.

"What is that buzzing noise?" Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel asked.

"I just SAID that, estúpido!" Carmen snapped.

"I think…THAT'S the buzzing noise." Heatwave said quietly, pointing upward.

They slowly, creakingly, looked up at the ceiling. There, hovering overhead, were the most disgusting-looking insects they'd ever seen. They were enormous, and with HUGE stingers, humanoid faces, thick, long hair, and bodies shaped like muscular stallions, with dragonfly-esque wings. They were buzzing around the air, and had only just noticed the prey below them.

"Apparently…" Heatwave spoke up. "Apollyon's locusts live in Vorago, and since the Pit's mist is surrounding us on all sides, they've been…BREEDING…" She muttered.

"…let's run and scream like little girls." Hammy squeaked out.

"Best idea I've heard from you all day." Carmen gulped.

BOOM! They were out of there, a dust cloud where they'd once been as they tore down the hallway, running from the oncoming locusts.

…

…

…

… "You're only making this HARDER for yourself!" Tak's voice called out.

In the mist it was hard to stay together, but now all of them were hiding behind a very large trash receptacle as the sound of Tak's footsteps got closer and closer. It bothered Kila to look up…she should be seeing the STARS out from the majestic windows/roof of the GFA HQ. Although she could only see in black and white, those beautiful sparkling lights had always been serene and gentle no matter what. The Galactic Federal Alliance had deliberately chosen a place for their main headquarters that would, for all within, be a place where you could be surrounded by serenity…a place of peace.

What it had now become was a frightening, fog-filled nightmare. There were screams coming off in the distance. She could hear horrid wails of people in agony, begging for death, and to be honest, she was becoming very…COLD…the mist was having some kind of anti-aphrodisiacal effect upon her, and apparently on Green as well.

"Come out, dudes." Frequency insisted. "I'm gonna waste ya sooner or later, and it's better if it's sooner. Hey, Tak, later, you wanna go to your ship and fishbowl?"

"Huh?" Tak asked.

"Ya know. Fishbowl. Its fit wicked."

"…even though you're speaking Basic, I haven't the SLIGHEST clue what you're saying." Tak remarked.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" An all-too terrible voice called out, crooning softly in an almost musical tone. "I know you're here, Kilana…I can taste your estrogen…"

Kila's blood turned cold. _He had found them._

"Where is he?" Another voice snarled, deep and furious. Zoburg, Darth realized with a growl. "You filthy defective and your disgusting pathetic genetic FREAK! All my plans are ruined…RUINED! So I'll at LEAST get the satisfaction of taking my frustration out on your FILTHY skin!"

"What are YOU doing here?" Tak's voice asked, obvious distaste present in her voice. "I have these inferiors handled."

"This from a fish who did the "Walk of Shame" all the way from Dib's apartment right back to his dad's laboratory for work the next day and didn't realize she was buck naked until she was halfway into the hood." Frequency spoke up.

Tak immediately shut up. Darth, however, could hear the unmistakable sounds of silent spluttering, Samael's sniggering, and Zoburg trying to suppress laughter. Finally she managed to get out "Don't talk about Dib like that!" and there was a WHACK and a stoned-out "OW" that drifted through the air a moment later.

"Come oooooout Kilana." Samael called out. "I assure you, where you're going, no physical pain shall await you at all. Mostly…" He sniggered. "Because by the time I am finished with you, there shall not any nerve endings in your body that will be able to FEEL pain!"

"Don't you have some orphan you need to rape?" Kila yelled back furiously, holding up her paw and launching a fireball in their direction. THWOOOOOOM! For a brief moment, like a strobe light, the entire hall they were in was lit up and everybody could see where everybody was. Naturally when the mist shrouded them all again, our threesome hid behind a huge pillar, Kila taking deep breaths.

"Oh, I already did that AND had lunch." Samael remarked, picking his teeth with a claw and removing a button from it.

"You know, Kilana…as a fellow scientist I think you might APPRECIATE what I'm going to do to your daughter. You see, we kind of need HER alive as a breeding tool." Zoburg spoke up. "Along with her beloved Junior, Muridean physiology is QUITE interesting. You wouldn't believe how big some of their litters can be!"

"If you have sex with him I disown you." Kila was tempted to say to Green, but the next words wiped THOSE words out from her mind.

"Junior would sooner cut his tail AND dick off then hurt me that way, you foul, evil, LOATHSOME little cockroach!" Green hissed.

"You GO, girl." Frequency called out.

"And you…are a LOUSY scientist!" Kila spoke up. "When Miyuki banned your projects for being too-what was the word?"

"Psychotic." Darth explained.

"Yeah, that's it. She said they were "Sick-sick-sick-sick-sick" and she ordered you thrown out of the empire. THEN you tried to sabotage her PAK…among OTHER things!" Kila yelled. "You **SUCK!**"

"I am a CHAOS THEORIST." He remarked. "If people get hurt in the process of my work…who cares?" He laughed. "It's all naturally part of how things work-"

""I have something for you to think about!" Green remarked. "Who controls the concept of Law?"

Zoburg blinked. "…what?" He finally got out. Though he could not SEE Green in the mist, he could picture a big grin on her face.

"Well, is whoever controls Law a lawful being himself?" asked Green. "He couldn't be, because then there'd be a higher law for him to follow, which makes no sense, because HE'S the one who controls Law! And The other alternative is that the being who controls Law is NOT lawful, but that would make no sense either, because a being who is lawless simply cannot control Law… Can he?" Green added.

"Well…um…er…" Zoburg began to scratch his head, trying to figure this out. Then Samael spoke up.

"I know THAT one too." He added. "Along with the "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin". Plato was quite clever, I must say. But here's the answer to it: there ISN'T much of a good answer and there are more important things in the world to worry about. Like, for example, you getting close enough for one of us to "cook you"." He remarked, stepping forward through the mist.

"ACTUALLY…" Green whispered with a grin as Kila saw her daughter's hand glowing, which she placed down onto the ground, eyes closing. "I like to do my **OWN** cooking!" She called out.

With a harsh WOOSH of flame, a burning line of fire shot out around the floor and rushed forward, and then the flame transformed as it shot up from the ground, transforming into a burning hand that gripped ahold of Zoburg tightly.

Instantly the mist was dispelled by this sudden light and they all saw the armor-wearing Zoburg alit with flame. He screamed and spiraled back as Samael snarled and rushed forth at Green…

THWOOSH!

A surging, air-rippling blast of heat shot through the air and struck him on the side of the head, knocking him across the hall. Heatwave grinned as she saw the flesh sizzle on Samael's head and he got up, a furious leer on his features as Tak's PAK legs extended and she jumped through the air at Heatwave…

Suddenly her mind was viciously assaulted by images of her past and she halted in midair and fell, crying as she witnessed Dib's demise at his own father's laboratory, seeing the explosion that had taken his life…

"You BASTARD!" She sobbed as she got up, turning her head to look at Darth, who had a solemn, mournful expression on his face. "You…**monster**…"

"I'm so sorry." Darth whispered, shaking his head, his white eyes closed in regret. "But I can't let you hurt anybody else."

Frequency faced down Kila as he strapped the sniper rifle to his back. Rupert ran to her side along with Carmen as they faced him down.

"Don't do this." The albino hamster insisted. "You're better than the others in many ways; I know what you've done, bad AND good. You needn't go down this destructively destructive path of destruction!"

"Look, I gotta flex with you. Be honest n' stuff. If you knew some of the things that I've done, you wouldn't be thinking of me as a gooftard. You'd think of me as a sick son of a bitch." He admitted, still in that stoned-out surfing voice, though now obvious sorrow was seeping through his words.

"You don't seem that…evil." Kila admitted.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, who knows? But if you knew everythin' I've done, you might hate me real bad…" He admitted. "And I gotta make sure Junior and Green don't die here…Grendella's safe now, she'll be giving birth soon…"

"Why do you care about Junior and Green?" Carmen inquired as she began to dance. Immediately she and Frequency were now doing a mambo on the spot, shaking their butts and moving their shoulders up and down as they shimmied around, Carmen in control. "Díganos lo que esos dos significa para usted!"

Frequency bit his lip. "…they're the parents of the girl I love." He said quietly. "I can't let them die." He added as Carmen held his hand and they began to waltz across the hall whilst Kila and Rupert watched in a certain amount of amazement and astonishment.

"So then…who's kid are you?"

"Sandy and Grendella are my 'rents." He admitted as Carmen twirled him around.

"Well you DO have her eyes." Rupert admitted, rubbing his chin.

BAM! Carmen and Frequency were knocked to the ground by a burning suit of armor that they BARELY managed to get off of them in time. They looked up to see Zoburg twirling around, slashing and slicing at Green as she jumped back over and over again, dodging his attacks as Heatwave was forced back by Samael, over to where THEY were. Tak had run off and Darth was chasing after her, intent on catching her at long last.

"You can't dance forever, girl!" Samael cackled out.

"Maybe I don't have to!" Heatwave snapped, jumping backwards and flipping through the air. She kneeled by the ground, watching as Samael took another step, then turned to Kila. "On the count of three, we take a piece of him…EXTRA CRIPSY." She told Kila.

"Right." Kila agreed, and the two girls stepped forward. "One…two…THREE!"

They both held their paws up and unloaded a full blast of fiery, burning death…but Samael's bony wings swept forward and parted the fire as he laughed eagerly. "You are going to have to do far better than that." He told them as they were forced to move back further. "Carmen…we need to distract him long enough for my plan to take effect."

"Well, I got an idea for that." Carmen remarked. "Sammy's a perverted freak, isn't he?"

"From what I heard, Zoburg gets off on kinky stuff too, actually." Kila admitted.

"Well then!" Heatwave grabbed Carmen and they immediately began tongue-banging on the spot. Frequency's eyes shot open. Kila gaped. Zoburg stopped fighting Green and gasped at the sight before him. Rupert flew backwards, propelled by a bloody nose. Samael stopped in amazement and then began to immediately massage his own nipples.

"Ohhhh yeah…" He whispered eagerly. "THAT'S the stuff!"

The two girls began to fiercely kiss even more deeply than before and Samael was now getting very turned on, apparent at what was now-

"EWWWWW. Put it back!" Kila snapped. "There are CHILDREN present!" She added.

"Oh, he won't need to put it back." Heatwave said, breaking the kiss. "He's been standing on a spot of the floor I superheated through…in other words…which I made very dry…and very…WEAK…"

CRICK…CRICK…

Samael looked down and saw what he was standing on…saw the cracks.

"Oh you LITTLE BI-" He began.

WOOOOSH! Down he went with a cry, hitting the ground some several dozen floors below, too caught up with trying to think non-sexy thoughts to get his junk back in to get his wings up and flying in time. Zoburg, meanwhile, frowned angrily.

"That little distraction won't save you from ME!" He snapped. "So stay back while I decide who gets to be destroyed first! You…"

He snapped his fingers and a machine hovered into the air of a grey-furred Stitch-like child experiment who had his eyes closed. The machine was like a floating pair of electro-handcuffs that was suspended in the air by jets…and a shimmering electrical shield surrounded the child, who blinked slowly, opening his eyes to look at them all with black eyes that had a green tint at the bottom…and…he had a very furry chest…

"Little Grey here is Orion and Sara's son." Zoburg spoke up as Kila's eyes widened. "He's the one my benefactor Samael caught and got to divulge the location of where the others were." It took a little out-loud-threatening of what might happen to them to get him to speak up, apparently, but he was stupid enough to reveal his location then…"

"Don't…you…TOUCH…him…" Kila hissed. "You goddamn soulless coward, picking on a child."

"NOOOOO!"

A voice had yelled in horror.. They turned around to see Staccato leading the others through the dissipating mist, swinging his sword left and right to cut it away as Orion rushed forward with Sara by his side. "You leave my son alone!" He roared out. "Let him go!"

"Awww, I really SHOULD bring him back to you." Zoburg sniggered. "The question though…" He tapped his cheek. "Is do I bring him back in ONE piece…or many…bleeding…pieces…"

But he didn't notice that Green had peeled away the fur from her right hand. Now it was glowing translucently…brilliantly shining as her power flowed out…

She tapped him on the back, catching him off guard. With an angry "WHAT" he turned around…

And then she SLAMMED her fist into his chest. **"EK = (1/2)mv!" **She roared out.

Zoburg was propelled back a few feet and he gasped in obvious pain, clutching his chest as Kila and the others walked more closely to where Green was. "What…was THAT?"

"The formula for kinetic energy." Kila explained. "Didn't you recognize it?"

"And NOW you're going to jail!" Staccato added, rushing forward and slicing at the machine, cutting through it easily and catching the little grey experiment in his arms. It nuzzled against his chest as he walked back to Orion and Sara, giving them their child and putting enormous smiles on their faces.

"For a good, LONG time." Junior added, putting his paws on his hips.

"…wait…" Green frowned and rubbed her chin, then counted off on her fingers before speaking up. "No, no, he's not going to jail." She spoke up.

"Yes, it is beneath me." Zoburg muttered hatefully at them.

"It's gonna be **AROUND** you when I'M through with you!" Junior stated.

"No, I mean, you're not going to jail because I didn't do the attack right. I didn't **square** velocity." Green explained. "No, he's not going to jail, this fucker is gettin' exactly what he deserves."

She pulled the skin/fur off her right hand, and before Zoburg could stop her…THUCKA-THWOMP! She slammed the blazingly illuminative fist right into his stomach.

THIS time he didn't get propelled back a few measly feet. THIS time his squeegly-spooch went flying out backwards from his back as he was launched at high speed through the air, his arms and legs breaking up in the immensely fast velocity before, at last, with a wail that was cut off, he hit the wall with a sickening SPLUCKA-SPLAT and what made up his body went raining down onto the hall below.

**"Holy SHIT!"** Staccato exclaimed.

"Did you SEE how hard your daughter PUNCHED him?" Heatwave asked a VERY-impressed-looking Kila.

**"HA-OOOOOOLY SHIT**!" Staccato exclaimed more loudly.

"Mon dieu, votre fille est absolument FOU!" Rupert exclaimed. "Ihre Tochter ist völlig verrückt, ich meine es ganz herzlich!"

"HA-OOOOOOOOLY SHIT!" Staccato gasped out.

"That's my girl." Kila said proudly.

"That's my mother-in-law." Frequency admitted.

Then they saw something approaching from the mist…something that appeared to have three heads to one body, and some kind of armor on it's form…Frequency didn't hesitate. He whipped out his sniper rifle, aimed for the chest, and fired.

THUDDA-THUCK!

"URK!"

A cry…and then the thing fell…and the "heads" rolled off. Something was off about the shape of them though, Green thought. It was almost like…

"Nooooo!" GIR's voice cried out. "No, please, please don't go bleeding all over!"

Kila felt a shard of ice pierce her heart. Obviously they had not hit a monster. Frequency gasped in horror as he rushed forward along with the others to see Two lying there, holding his chest, dying on the spot.

"Take…them…out…of here…" He whispered to Green, gesturing at GIR and Minimoose, who were crying as they stood next to his quivering form. "Take…them…and go…"

"…Two…" Green whispered softly, taking her brother's hand."

"Please…**go**…" Two begged as he looked at her, then at his mother, taking her shaking hand before he fell down to the floor, the blood pooling around him slowly.

Everybody was silent, save for the sobbing GIR, who Green hugged tightly to comfort. Kila finally took Two in her arms and held him to her, silent tears running down her cheeks as she gripped the son she'd never truly gotten to know tightly.

Staccato put his sword away and then bit his lip. He would probably get in enormous trouble from Michael for this, but…

He gently kneeled by Kila and gestured for her to hand Two over. Taking him gently in his arms, he closed his eyes and before them all transformed, his angelic wings spreading out, his more Roman-esque clothes now covering his body, sandals and tunic and all. He carefully walked upon the air up a glowing white staircase towards a bright light above as the others watched him enter it and vanish, and then Junior spoke up.

"I wanna go home."

…

…

…

…Grey panted as he tossed the last of clones that had been attacking him away, watching the Leroy's body fade into oblivion. For some reason, they had all been dressed up in very odd attire…a mixture of brown and black clothing and permanent, disapproving scowls sewed into their faces. His hands were getting stained with blood from the clones, but he was not giving up. Not one bit.

He might not have been a "lion" anymore. Now he was more like a hippo. But a hippo, when defending it's beloved, could beat even LIONS in a fight. And furthermore, now…

He looked down at his hands. A small bird couldn't stay on a lion's fangs. Now he was human. Now he could be even gentler than before. He pictured Eve's happy smile as he found her, took her in her arms and said "Sorry" for everything that had happened to her…

He then heard her calling out, crying for help, and he took off running as fast as he could. Meanwhile, back at the church, Senkoukura and Makani had arrived to assist the others in setting up an energy shield around the area. Senkoukura held his gigantic form up and nodded down at the others, carefully tucking his tail behind him so he could not accidentally flick the chapel top off.

"Where is Nick? Where is Grey?" Makani inquired of Mehjen and the Executioner as Myr was washing the blood of some disgusting creature that had gotten too close to the church off of him.

"Wow, I'm GLISTENING." Myr remarked, looking at his body and not noticing Nacht's slight raise of a non-existent eyebrow.

"Grey ran off to go find Eve." Ewa Lani spoke up, sitting next to them on the porch steps. "Lilo's got everybody doing bingo in there, you wanna come inside?"

Makani frowned deeply.

"What's wrong?" Ewa Lani asked.

"Eve isn't…something was wrong." He admitted. "Senkoukura-Sama sensed it and so did I. The moment she appeared…and all the time he's been spending with her…she's said all the right things at exactly the right time."

"Yeah, so?"

Makani folded his arms neatly in his lap and waited. Then Mehjen's eyes widened.

"Nobody should be THAT perfect…" He realized. "What is she really?" He asked Makani. "Do you know?"

"…it's something that…that Grey can't be kind to." Makani muttered softly. "If she really is what I believe she is…then she's something he'll have to destroy utterly…nothing can remain. But…it would break his heart…"

Ewa Lani bit her lip as she looked down at the ground and wondered what her sweet old boyfriend had done in life to deserve all the cruelty that was continually handed to him. Then something hit her.

"How could you…sense it?" She asked Makani.

"Senkoukura can because of his intense command over the power of Light." Makani told her. "I can sense it because of my father's blood." He said. "There are two parts within him that know the truth, but he's ignoring them because he wants, above all, to love…"

"Who is your dad?" Ewa Lani inquired.

"His name was carved into my forehead by my mother so I would ne'er forget." Makani stated as he calmly took his long, green, serpentine headband on his head off. Ewa Lani gaped at the sight she now saw. He nodded softly, then put the headband back on.

"Oh." She said quietly. "…does he know?"

"…no." Makani admitted quietly. "King knows. Lilo knows. Jumba knows. But they've agreed not to tell anyone." He spoke softly.

"…I'm sorry." She spoke gently. "Your father ought to know he's not alone. That he DOES have a son."

"One day I'll tell him." Makani insisted quietly. "One day. Soon."

SOME TIME LATER…

Green folded her arms as she looked out over the town, seeing the church being protected by shimmering light, knowing the people would be safe there. Echo sat by Yuna as King rocked the little ones back and forth to comfort them. White was sitting by Sari, who was talking about changing her hairstyle.

Green could smell him approaching and nodded in the air as Junior lay asleep nearby.

"Alex." She spoke up. "I heard from the others how you...dealt with Miyu. The way you finished her was..."

She didn't finish. The kid's look of mixed awe and disgust had told her enough.

"...I'm not saying she didn't deserve it. But I wonder if you...liked...it..." Green finished as Alex stood by her, looking out over the town as they watched the fog slowly fade away from Kokaua Town, returning to it's sinless form and converging, for some strange reason, around the beach…

Alex looked down at the pair of children, before passing his hand over Greens hair.

"For a moment I did Green. It was like when I dealt with Emery, keeping them alive whilst they're eviscerated to the point that they're a screaming skull, it shows how much of a monster I am at heart, even Grey is more mercifull than that…" he paused for a moment to watch the last few patches of mist rise away into the air to vanish. Then he coughed and hacked, and a piece of metal flew out of his mouth.

"UGH. At any rate… the time displacement has affected me, I can't stay here much longer, so I was wondering if you'd look after something for me?" the hybrid asked his friend.

"I'd be honored." Green told him, nodding her head.

Something green leaped from Alex's coat and straight into Greens arms. Eve hapilly looped her vines around the teeneagers neck, nuzzling her.

"I created Eve from the energy of this universe, so she can't come with me…"

At mention of this Eve, despte being eyeless, shed tears.

"But she's taken a liking to you." Alex admitted quietly. He stroked the plant sadly before turning to Echo.

"Echo, I truly do owe you so much!" he said, a smile on his face.

Echo hopped up as Green patted Eve on the head. "Aw, you're a nice person." She insisted. "And you smell like far-off-places!" She added cheerfully.

"He's LOUD too." King remarked with a small smile.

Alex gave the reptile a small smile "Thanks King, I'm sure you'll take good care of the Soul Robber. It's in good hands with you." The boy turned his attention back to Echo. "You reminded me of who I was again, but all I can give you is this" he reached inside his coat and pulled out a small disk shaped object which he handed to her.

"It's a time summoner, if you ever need me, use that and I'll come running for you" he said, passing his hand over her hair.

Echo held it in her hands like it was the greatest object in the world, eyes widening in awe. "Cool beans." She got out.

"Will you be alright where you are going?" King asked gently, looking into Alex's eyes with his own soft, golden ones, pity faintly present on his face.

The Briton turned his head towards the wise individual, someone who had lived as long as he would, and someone who's years he would someday surpass. He shrugged.

"Not really sure King, the displacement wave only effects time, but I can't control it. But I'm headed somewhere in the past" he checked his wrist comp "2009, wow, my own time. Tell me, did anything significant happen here then?" he asked, his hand reaching up to grasp his necklace.

King grinned. "In Kokaua Town, that was the day we discovered Lilo's _zoe_ powers. And, interestingly enough, Makani was created on the day. His father..." He trailed off, sighing sadly. "If only he knew..." He whispered. "He'd be so proud."

"Who IS his dad?" Alex asked.

King looked at him intently. Then he smiled. "You know him very well. He used to think he too was a monster."

The display began to fluctuate rapidly, but Alex was distracted by a memory.

"Wasn't that also when Nick returned?" He asked.

"He came back, ah, two years before." King remarked.

"Hm, well this thing seems uncertain as heck so who knows!" Alex responded, shrugging his shoulders. As he turned away, he thought about Nick, someone who he owed since before he met him.

"See you soon guys" he said as he strode towards the hill that overlooked the town. As he left, Eve weeped freely, making no effort to hold back her tears.

Nick, meanwhile, was sitting on the beach, watching the two who'd been there a moment later leave. The same beach who's waters he'd landed in all those years ago. Heartwing lay next to him, head resting on his arm as the blood that had covered Nick from his fights to REACH this beach slowly dissolved away, Heartwing's gentle light cleaning him.

The mist was fading...things were ending...Grey would deal with Eve, Junior would deal with Jack, and hopefully things would end for real. He didn't doubt they could win.

He heard someone approach and turned his head to see Alex. "Aloha." Nick said quietly, smiling slightly. "How you doin', "Lethal Protector"?" He wisecracked.

"You know I resent that nickname Nick." Alex sighed as he sat down next to him. "Nick, I've known you since before I first came here, I can speak honestly with you."

"Absolutely." Nick said, nodding his head. "Is something on your mind, Alex?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I knew all the events that were going to happen…" The Briton said solemnly.

Nick was quiet for a few moments, petting Heartwing gently. "Well, I'm glad you said nothing." He said gently. "I wouldn't have listened, anyhow. Life is more interesting if you don't know everything that's coming."

Alex grinned "You got that right, I found out from your otherworld counterpart in the form of a story, he was kind enough to write me in, he's also how I recognized you in an instant. He's a man who lacks your powers but is just as much of a hero" he said, stroking in between the little dragon's spines, making him snuggle up to the Briton slightly. "It's also thanks to him I know your history, including your first kiss with Lilo." he added slyly.

Nick nervously blushed. "To be honest, I'm not surprised. I've met me in other forms before. There seems to be one thread, one commonality...all of them were, for all their faults, trying to do as much good as possible with all they had." He grinned. "Did I overdo it with Lilo on the first kiss?" He asked.

Alex placed his hand on his shoulder "In my book it couldn't have gone any better!... which is more than I can say for my love life." He added. "It's weird, I seem to be the only person who doesn't have a parralel counterpart-"

Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. "Yo Nick, do you ever feel like there are certain parts from when you returned that seemed like they were altered?"

"Sometimes I feel that somebody's playing tricks on me." Nick admitted. "Memory becomes...entangled. Why?"

Alex held up his wrist comp, the display now reading 2007.

"I have a feeling I may have erased a few things."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "I HOPE nothing important!" He remarked. "Ah, but listen, I want you to remember you're always gonna be part of our _ohana_. I don't know if you've heard this before, but...this is a place where **everyone **can be forgiven."

"Well, if I was in your past, it was probably to avoid a time paradox. I'll do something to thank you when I arrive Nick, and you're right, this will be the one universe that will never forget me. The crystals I gave Echo and Green hold my essence, it will prevent my events being erased!" As he finished, his hand became transparent, Emery's time displacer was finally taking effect. "You'll watch over Echo and Eve for me won't you? I'll probably make a second generation of the plant but I want her okay."

"We'll take good care of them. They're family." Nick insisted. He hesitated for a moment, as if wanting to say more, but he then frowned slightly, as if the words had left him. "...this is goodbye, I guess." He finally said.

"The great Ncholas Michael Grey, lost for words." Alex said softly as he quickly reached into his coat and tossed his friend a small disk "It's a time summoner, call me if you need me, your my_ohana_ too Nick, and remember…" he offered him his right hand "With individuals like us, goodbye is rarely forever"

"Don't ever say goodbye." Heartwing spoke up, looking up at Alex and smiling warmly. "Just say...see you later." He told them.

"Yeah...see you later, Alex." Nick told him, beaming at his friend.

"I've got a few minutes left, and, uh, thank Michael for unknowingly giving me this…" he reached bach as if holding a javelin.

"CHAOS SPEAR" he called, before tossing a green spear of energy into the waves. "It'll come in handy, I'm sure! And there are two more things" I want to give to you." He added as a bolt of energy shot from his wrist comp to Nicks watch.

"It now has everything mine had, and my final gift to the garden isle" as he faded, a shockwave spread outwards, and everywhere damage had been done, plants began to flourish and sprout.

Nick watched as a pretty dandelion sporuted up from between Heartwing and him and the two smiled, then looked out where Alex had been.

"...Aloha, Alex." Nick murmured softly. "...and take care."

It was then that Nick realised there was something in the leaves of the dandelion, a small sphere about the size of a tennis ball. There was a note attatched reading _"Nick, this is a raw light stone. It's one of the few sources in the universe capable of purifying the darkest hearts to ever exist. I know you'll put it to good use."_

Nick thought about this. Then he held the thing up. "...THIS might come in handy." He admitted, getting an idea, standing up. "Heartwing, there's three people we haven't truly dealt with, and my son is getting to one of them right now, and once Junior's rested he'll deal with another. As for the last, but definitely not least…"

He looked the beautiful sphere over. _"This is the last hope he has for himself."_ Nick thought, thinking not merely of the ball in his hands, but of a brownish-furred, turquoise-eyed experiment with wings like the rainbow and a humble smile, hands clasped half in prayer...


	30. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**  
_The best sorts of teachers are the ones who learn all sorts of things from their students. I'd like to think I did that time and time again and that's why I, the "Fool", am ironically a source of remarkable down-to-earth wisdom for most of my friends._

_Yet I keep on making stupid mistakes simply out of sheer recklessness and through my desire to protect the ones I love. The absolute biggest mistake I ever made…was in thinking I could fully kill of Samael._

_I'd been absolutely HORRIFIED to find out how much he was just like me back in the day. How alike his mannerisms were to mine when dealing with his friends. I thought…if HE went bad…what was to stop me from going the same way?_

_Then I remembered something. He treated his enemies in a far different way than __I__ usually did. He always HAD. His title gave it away, "Venom" or "Severity" of God! And me? I was always a stupid bleeding heart!_

_And that's why I should have realized the answer sooner. I only saw somebody irreversibly evil, somebody whom I had to kill, to DESTROY because of all he had done, WAS doing, WOULD do with glee._

_I didn't see the other option until it smacked me in the face. Until the very end. And that other option is, in some ways, far crueler than just killing him. There are things worse than Death._

_But I'm not doing this to be cruel. I'm doing this because I'm tired of killing. Tired of death._

_It has to end with new life._

_And it will. _

Tak angrily clung to the wall, breathing in and out as she slunk through the shadows of the hallway. She was getting tired…she could hear her own breaths coming in and out in harsh rasps, but she could not give in. She had to keep moving.

Ignoring the pricking of the mist's cold against her skin, she continued to slink through it, heading for the docking bay. She could see, faintly, the dark outlines of the mighty ships of Star Command as they towered above her, aloof, resolute, silent.

Then she could hear his footsteps…soft…paced out evenly…quiet.

"You can't hide in here from me." She called out.

"I was under the impression you were hiding from me." Darth's voice called out, rising slightly higher to address her. He seemed…not at ease. Like something was bothering him. His voice had cracked a little.

"Awww, is the mist getting to you? Frightening you?" Tak laughed as she carefully tip-toed towards his form. "Are you feeling…SURROUNDED!" She cackled, jumping through the air and slashing down.

But the PAK legs did little. He turned around, dusted himself off slightly, and spat a bloody tooth out. "You need to keep trying harder." He insisted.

"STOP IT!" She yelled, striking him across the face with her gloved claws. Even now, as she was killing him, he was still acting so kind and considerate. "Stop acting like you always did to us, your…your FLOCK!" She snarled, punching him hard and making him step back a few feet. "I'm not a member of your teachings! I recognized them for what they were…NONSENSE! And now…"

She struck him VERY hard, right in the stomach, and he fell to his knees for a moment before letting out a pained gasp.

"Now you're at my mercy." She whispered angrily, getting out a laser pistol and pointing it at him, eyes narrowing intently, becoming slits.

"It's **my** mercy, not yours, that matters now." Darth spoke softly, looking up at her with his milky white eyes. "I KNOW you, Tak. I KNOW you. You would not and will not do this."

"You didn't know anything about me when I asked you to marry me and Dib!" She snarled. "You don't know me now!"

"You were unsure that others would accept your love so you came to me. I was the best. I could do Vortian ceremonies, Jukani rituals, and happily joined any Irken to any other being in love." Darth went on, making Tak quiver as she thought of going down the aisle, clinging to Dib's arm as she walked towards the stage Darth had been on. He'd spoken the words…placed his hand upon their heads and told them they were wed…

"Stop…IT…" She whispered.

"When you were worried about whether or not you could have CHILDREN you came to me too." He went on softly, standing up now as she continued to quiver. "I told you love would find a way and that way presented itself to you. And when you accidentally lost your first baby, you came to me in sorrow and walked away in hope because of my words."

"I'll…I'll kill you, you filthy blind defective!" She snarled.

"I am the most helpless I have ever been, and you've not done it yet." Darth insisted. "You won't do it. Murder isn't nearly as easy as people believe, and you know this in your heart."

Tak's gun quivered over and over. Finally she sobbed and fell to her knees, the gun dropping as Darth sighed deeply, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Just kill me." She sobbed. "I just…want to be with him…"

"I killed you fifteen minutes ago." He said gently, holding up a small needle. "When you were slinking around, hiding away as best you could. You didn't even notice it, you thought the mist was making you itch."

"…then your wounds aren't truly…"

"No." Darth said as it all began to fade away and he was revealed to be behind her. He walked around to kneel by her side as he gently lowered her into his lap and looked down at her. He could not truly "see" her, but he didn't need to for being able to hold her cheek. "I'm fine."

"…does it hurt?" Tak wanted to know quietly.

"…no. It doesn't." Darth told her, caressing her cheek.

"…please don't leave me." She begged. "I'm scared."

He held her cheek and clutched her hand as she laid it on her chest, the other upon the ground, turned up slightly as paralysis began to sink in. He did not leave her side…and though she was slowly losing consciousness, even to the very end, her last moments were not spent in misery, but in that feeling of warmth and peace, knowing that he was making sure she wasn't suffering alone. He placed his head upon hers and allowed his tears to trickle down and at last, she breathed out one final time, her life ended.

Slowly, nervously, Frequency approached from behind. "…did you…?" He could not finish it. He seemed just as guilt-ridden as Darth was.

The blind Irken stood up. Frequency's eyes shot open wide at the sight of the deep, dark, solemn gaze that was now burning in his milky-white eyes.

"…I'm sorry." Frequency said quietly as he walked over and picked up Tak's body gently. "I'll bring her to the others."

"…thank you…" Darth managed to say, voice broken and timid. Frequency nodded and left the room with Tak's body as the blind Irken finally could take no more, and he sobbed and screamed and wailed, falling to his knees, tears and snot running down onto the floor below in his grief as sorrow swallowed him up.

…

…

…

…some time before Nick's talk with Alex he had been looking through the town, seeing the mist try and…swirl AWAY from him. It was like it was alive…and afraid of him.

"What IS this with this place anyhow?" Nick wondered. "What is the mist of Vorago DOING?"

The town had now been utterly shrouded in the mist, yes, it was hard to see houses or poles or anything like that. They were naught but shadowy figures in the fog, though the street…and himself…were clear. And whenever he approached something shrouded in the mist, the fog seemed to clear back, as if loathe to have him touch it.

He then noticed something. At first it seemed like some kind of lion…or a dog the size of a bear…then he rubbed his eyes and it appeared in plain sight. A big, black experiment that had blood-red-tinted eyes…dark grey fur for chest hair and darkly tie-dyed pants to match. It scratched it's chest with it's muscular body and sat down, frowning as it stood by another being that was sitting on a bench nearby.

This figure was white-furred in form and with grayish eyes that had a blue tint on the bottom and light grey fur on it's chest. It was the size of an ordinary human but looked unmistakably sorrowful, the remnants of tears in it's eyes. It did not have claws upon it's hands or talons on it's feet, and it's misty-colored tie-dye pants made it look very pitiable indeed.

"Ele Hiwa? Kuali?" Nick asked of the black and white experiments respectively. "What are you here for?"

"He doesn't…need us now." Another voice spoke up, emerging through the mist. It was unmistakably Ahinahina…Grey.

"Son?" Nick remarked, rubbing his head. "What do you mean?"

"I'm NOT your son. Well, I am, and I am not…" Ahinahina went on. "Your son's full humanity is asserting itself now. That was his wish. Among…other things. His other potential is being shown due to that ball of Dream that he swallowed."

Nick slapped his forehead. "Oh COURSE! The element of Dream! What ELSE would do something like this?"

"But he's in a lot of trouble at the moment." Kuali spoke up. "And it's…it's so sad…" He whimpered, covering his eyes. "He hasn't done anything to deserve this. Nothing at all!"

"Stop your mewling." Ele Hiwa snapped, frowning angrily. "We should go! There are things in the mist spawned to protect itself from YOU." He told Nick.

"Why ME?" Nick asked.

"The mist is Samael's invention. He let Vorago seep out into Purgatory and created this foggy monstrosity from it's blending, unleashing it on certain areas you know of. It contains his essence, and he's super-scared of the potential you have. OUTWARDLY he'd not admit it." Kuali said softly. "But…inside…" He added, placing his hand on his chest, where his heart was.

"One shine knows another." Ahinahina told Nick.

"I'm NOT like him!" Nick yelled angrily. "I'll NEVER be!"

"You're SO much like me…so much like me…"

Nick gulped and turned around to see what he had not hoped to see…they looked so eerily like him it was sick. His face…

Walking before him, towards him, were brown-furred bodies with teal shorts and six arms. One pair was clasped in prayer, the other two reaching out for him…as if eager to taste him, fingers fluttering slightly like moths and his face _had been sewed onto the head of the thing, grinning, leering_-

"NO!" Nick screamed, holding up a large metal pipe and slamming it into the face of the thing as it let out a cry too similar to his own. But he did not care, he was sickened, he was angry, he was FURIOUS. Even as the things rushed towards him from the mist he continued to swing the pipe around as the blood splattered all over him, bathing him in it's stench. "I'm…not…like…YOOOOU!" He screamed.

SQUORCH! SQUORCH! SQUORCH!

The pipe came down and down again as rainbow-doused wings were shattered and broken and the insides of skulls dripped out.

"I'm NOT-**I'M NOT-**_**I'M NOT-**__**I'M NOT**_" Nick sobbed.

Finally the pipe came down one final time and the last grinning face that was his own was broken apart as Nick fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands. _"I'm not, I'm not, I'm not…"_

He gently felt three pairs of hands lift him up and gently hold him. He looked into their eyes and did not see any shred of hatred, but concern. Love.

"Nick, I am sorry." Ahinahina said. "But we do not have good news. Your son…the one he holds dear and knows as "Eve"…Eva is not as good a person as you might think. She is…" He sighed. "She's born from a wish to fulfill his desires, but…she does not…her nature is not something that can be changed."

Nick felt his insides tear up. He knew what they were implying. Eve was something obviously infernal…demonic…horrible. Something that had been evil from the start.

"As long as Grey exists, she will try to satisfy his desires but will...in the process…feed off of his heart. And she has done this to others and will continue to do so to survive." Ele Hiwa added. "Men are her prey."

"He has to destroy her utterly." Kuali said softly. "And…that's so sad…the way she has to die…it's just so SAD…"

He began to cry and Ele Hiwa rolled his eyes as Ahinahina stepped back. "I've got to go find him." He told Nick. "You two can…stay with him. Make sure he gets out of here safely. I need to go find Junior too. He's got to deal with Jack. It has to be him that ends it."

"It has to be?" Nick asked quietly.

Ahinahina nodded solemnly. Then he walked off, waving goodbye. The other two parts to his son took him by the arms and led him towards the smell of surf and sand…

…

…

…

…Grey panted heavily as he rested his body against the wall of the alley, hacking in harsh, ragged breaths. Sweat and blood covered his body…he'd been fighting his way through disgusting-looking things who's flesh had begun to peel off, revealing rust-covered ooze underneath. They had LOOKED human at first, and had, the lot of them, looked alone and afraid…

He hadn't been scared. No. Terror had come when they'd turned and looked at him with faces that had no eyes. Horror had filled him when they had started to stand up and walk towards him with faces _just like his_

Now he tried to rest his body against the wall and to calm himself down. He was aware of the smell of the many scratches against his body that those…THINGS…had made. But above all he smelled their own blood and even closing his eyes he saw them staggering towards him, grinning, laughing, the thieves of his face-

His experimental face was to his right, attached to it's normal body. Grey blinked as he looked at it. It was like looking into a mirror that showed what you HAD been.

"Wh-what?" He gasped. "Not more…" He moaned, stepping back and putting up his fists, grateful for having been the captain of the JV wrestling team in high school.

But Ahinahina just smiled and shook his head. Then he rubbed the mood necklace around his neck.

A moment later, a flash of light blinded Grey, and he now saw that Ahinahina had been transformed. He had become a large sword that only the strongest of souls could have wielded with one hand. It looked like it weighed fifty pounds and had a slightly blunted tip. It's shaft was of the same color as his hair, and a long, empty, shaft-like space ran from the near top all the way down to the bottom of the blade. Written around the hilt read the word "Compassion" in green letters.

He held it in his hands and felt the metal. It…vibrated slightly, seeming to hum. It was like it was alive. It didn't feel like this was some sort of joke. It felt…natural…very natural to hold it.

Then he turned around and saw why he'd been given it. He quickly raised the sword in time to block…

Well it couldn't be JACK. There was no way this thing before him was Jack. This thing sort of LOOKED like him. Almost…purple-tinted eyes that were sadly bloodshot and weak-looking…small antennae…light yellow and green body, but…it was muscular…it was VEINY, the body. The fangs were…jutting upwards like some kind of monster. Worse still, there was another mouth where his forehead was and where his-

Grey tried not to focus on EITHER of them but the one on top was wailing horridly like a woman trying to keep herself from being dragged into an alley. Another sounded like a father screaming over the loss of his wife. And the final, screeching cry coming out of the main mouth on the Jack-thing's face that was roughly the size of a HOUSE was the cry of a needy child demanding something and demanding-

CLANG!

It…

CLANG!

NOW!

**CLANG!** He forced the thing back, it's steely-strong body glistening with the points of little knives sticking out from under the skin somehow. It's eyes glared balefully at him, thinking black, vile thoughts of damnation at him, wanting his end. Grey did not truly understand why this thing HATED him so much. IT had struck first! Why was it so angry at HIM?...

…unless…

He swung the sword again, aiming for higher. The thing was forced back into the street as Grey continued to swing over and over, twirling around, spinning his body as he leapt through the air and leapt around the thing as he swung the sword in a unique style that seemed part ritual, part fighting, part dancing. He suddenly felt he had an idea what this thing was and why it hated him. This thing represented, in part, what Jack wanted to be. It was strong. VERY strong. Muscular…powerful. And it was not some dumb thing, he could tell, it had been sneaky enough to tip-toe up on him to strike…

But it was also what Jack realized he was becoming, on some level. A monster. An abomination. This was a manifestation of guilt, true, but also hate…hate at he, Grey, hate for him because of the sympathy he had shown to Jack. Had Jack disliked the sympathy his godfather had had for him that much? Had he been that unable to bear it?

"Jack, why didn't you ever SAY something?" Grey whispered sadly as he ducked and twirled the sword as the thing jumped up to avoid the swipe. "Why didn't you just TELL me instead of holding it all in? You could have changed yourself if you'd tried…I would have changed the way I acted if you'd just SAID so…" He murmured.

He was forced to jump back as the thing suddenly screamed angrily with all three mouths and struck with a fist at the ground he'd been on. Obviously the Jack-thing had understood his words and yet still hated him. It rushed forward, aiming to kick Grey's head off…

But that sword was large. VERY large. Grey held it up like a shield and the thing's leg BROKE against it. With a howl it hit the ground and began to bawl in pain.

Grey calmly walked over, going around the thing's head, and he placed the flattened tip of the blade on the neck of the thing, making it be silent. His eyes looked down into it's own and hatred was met with regret.

Grey swung the blade up, then brought it down on the neck. The thing's head was severed instantly.

He held the blade back up as the blood sloughed off onto the thing below. And then he heard somebody call out to him.

Turning, he saw her.

Eve. She was there, and she was shaking. Either from cold or fear, he could not tell. Her peach-furred body and beautiful golden eyes were all he could see right now. But even as he walked towards her he noticed something was off.

Why was she not HURT?

…

…

…

…Samael looked down at the hill where Jack was angrily setting fire to an empty house, screaming in fury. His eyes were more bloodshot than normal, his features seemed blurred by fury and hatred, and his legs…they seemed gaunt. Shaking…he was barely able to stand, and his voice had took on a distorted, snarling screech to it. "ALL MY LIFE!" He roared out. "ALL MY LIFE HAVING TO PUT UP WITH YOU PEOPLE LOOKIN' DOWN ON ME!" He roared out. "Do you have any idea what it does to a person knowing from day one you'll never be as good as most of the people you're around?"

Samael turned his head slightly to look at Nick as he stood there, arms folded across his chest. With a wave of his bony-clawed hand, Samael focused the mist and it began to swirl away from the town and the church, taking the remnants of the creatures within with it as they faded away into the fog, which circled around him and Nick as they stood on the beach's hill.

"So…you've come." Samael said happily. "Normally I'd like you to indulge in some dinner theater…you know, catch a show while I eat…but really, I've seen this performance before." He added, gesturing back at where Jack was below as the faint glow of a burning house began to light up the fog. Samael grinned, showing off his blood-red teeth before he cracked his knuckles. "Shall we dispense with the pleasantries? Just get them out of the way?"

"If you're thinking I'm here to kill you…" Nick began quietly, dangerously.

"I KNOW you're here to kill me." Samael said in a matter-of-fact tone, his horrible voice mocking. "I'm not a RETARD." He said in an imitation of a stupid person. "Or a Dee-Dee-Deeeee!"

"You're not omniscient." Nick said with a frown. "And I am not here to kill you." Nick added, shaking his head.

Samael suddenly looked a LOT more interested with Nick. He rubbed his chin, the darkness of his eyes flashing brightly like gemstones. "So..." He whispered with tones smoother than oiled silk. "You're taking…the moral high road? Putting me in JAIL?" He asked quietly. "Trust me. I'd escape. Or maybe…you're going to do what you do to your kids and GROUND me? Or SPANK me, perhaps?"

"KIDS?" Nick asked.

"Oh, right, you don't know yet." Samael remarked. "You'll find out eventually. How can someone in your state be so COOL about his fate?" He wondered, looking Nick over as he paced around in a circle, with Nick doing the same. "It's been quite the day, Mr. Grey, and I must say, I'm looking forward to ending it on a high note. I was thinking of, once I'm finished taking my frustrations out on YOUR hide, engaging in some particularily raunchy stuff with your wife." He spoke up. "Naturally, she'll be dead FIRST, but I personally like it when they lie still like that. AND I'm going to be having Jack assist me in the little-"

"Sam, stop it." Nick said, addressing Samael by his original name.

That sentence made Samael's eyes flare with fury. "Do not call me that." He hissed dangerously. "Little "Sam" died years ago when Michael put his sword through my chest!"

"Mikhail did what he had to." Nick said. "Him, Remiel, Raffi, Gabriella, Yuri, Ari, Sari, all of them did what they had to to stop you, I know about that." He took up a fighting pose then, fists held up. "And I'M going to do what I have to as well. Even if I have to break your arms and legs to do it!"

"Ah-ah-ah! Going at me with fisticuffs?" Samael said, waving a cautionary claw in the air as he held two hands on his hips, his middle/chest hand flicked Nick off, two more clenched and unclenched eagerly and the middle-left one was held behind his back as a muli-layered ball of black and red energy began to form. He then smirked and thrust the hand forward and it slammed hard into Nick's chest, knocking him to the ground as Samael let out happy laughter that sounded far, FAR to much like Nick's own peals.

Nick stood up. There was no PHYSICAL wound on him, or on his shirt. It had been a direct assault on his heart…he'd felt, for a sickening, brief moment, absolute despair and fear and hatred course through him but another emotion as taking it's place and it was that of absolute pity which could not be dispelled. And it oozed off of him in waves as Nick's watch activated and a soft, sad song began to play. It sounded like a violin playing…

Samael stiffened as he saw Nick raise his hand up, something white and pure and shining like a star in it. His eyes went wide as he realized what it was. How similar it was to the light of that stupid little wrymling that always seemed, like that stupid brat and the choir boy, to RESIST his greatest urges. "You…you keep that from me!" Samael demanded angrily as his wings folded, and then POPPED off his body, transforming into blades. Samael's bony claws clenched around them as searing fire lit them up, making them look like he was holding pointed lava lamps.

"You little brat!" He yelled, rushing forward. Nick ducked and jumped back as best he could, though the searing heat of the blades was all too close for comfort for him. Yet he had a feeling this was a fight that he could win without a doubt because he knew, he could FEEL how it would end in his heart. "I won't let you defeat me!" Samael snarled. He swung the blades at Nick.

Nick quickly ducked close to the ground, grabbed ahold of some dirt and flung it in Samael's eyes, making him reel back. "GAAAAH!" The Devil snarled.

"You forget, I fight dirty." Nick remarked, getting back up. "Not "stab-in-the-back" dirty, but still pretty dirty." He added, giving Samael's stomach a harsh jab before he smacked him backwards with a harsh backhand. The Devil slammed one blade into the ground, jumping through the air and bringing it down at Nick, who rolled to the side.

"You are ALWAYS a thorn in my side!" Samael snapped, frowning. "It's frickin' annoying!"

"Well you always underestimate the strength of humans." Nick said. "The Devil may have been made stronger than a man, but his heart has always been far, far weaker. Therein lies the rub!"

Samael saw an opening and went for it. "Oh yes, those typical, stubborn, tenacious humans!" Samael laughed coldly. "Soooo tenacious. Sooooo noble!"

SMACK! A backhand. Nick held his fist up in the air as Samael re-righted himself and landed back on the ground. "Well this is new! Respect for HUMANS!" Nick snarled furiously, pointing a finger in an accusative fervor at Samael. "Until now you and your kind have been UTTERLY lacking! And you know, it's not just you!" He added.

Samael smirked as Nick went on. "Be they an Irken, Muridean, Jukani or Experimental Being…I see it ALL…THE…FREAKING…TIME!" Nick roared as he rushed forward and punched and struck with his fists as Samael took the blows eagerly, allowing them to sink into his body as he was forced back more and more, inwardly rejoicing. "They have almost NO respect for humans! For my people! We don't MEAN enough! We're WEAK to them! INFERIOR!"

"You should THANK me for all I've done!" Samael laughed as he slammed the blades together and they molded into a lance. He rushed forward and at near-impossible speed impaled Nick's shoulder to a nearby tree, cackling. "What good is a life without hatred? Or anger? Or doubt?"

Nick grit his teeth. His shoulder felt like it was submerged in lava. He was trying hard not to scream but a suppressed yell was leaking through his teeth.

"You know, happy people can be so cruel." Samael went on. "Is it so hard to believe that by cursing your little hamster friend's family, I could make them see SYMPATHY? That COMPASSION could be born from a life of knowing unhappiness at every turn?"

"You don't care about anybody's…happiness…but yourself!" Nick yelled out, half in pain, half in fury as Samael twisted the lance so hard Nick's shoulder was severed and he fell to the ground, clutching the wound and screaming in pain.

"True, true, I can't pull off being noble. But I know how furious you've always been at the way people have treated humans." Samael remarked, appealing to Nick's racial pride. He'd been slowly feeding off of those feelings for a little while now and was getting quite pleased with himself. "It makes you so angry when your kind are slaughtered with almost no regard. For all the so-called racism humans show to others, in the minds of most races you are second-class citizens, you don't MATTER nearly as much…"

"**AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!**"

Suddenly a harsh punch broke Samael's nose and he was knocked back as a rainbow glow surrounded Nick as his wounds began to heal. Samael felt anger seep into his form…how had something GOOD seeped into something he'd been nourishing a moment later…Nick's fury at the racism of other races? He'd been playing on the human's pride for his own kind…how could this have been reversed?

"No matter HOW badly I was insulted by Zim, I stood up for him and got him a job at Star Command! Despite the insults I heard whispered at me whenever I walked through the experimental-majority part of town, I always smiled back at them and waved! I didn't hate, I didn't loathe, and you know what's happened because I did that and THEY didn't? NOTHING! NOTHING'S happened to them and THIS is happening to me! And I KNOW it's unfair and I KNOW it sucks and I KNOW that I shouldn't be this angry towards them because they're like YOU!"

Samael blinked.

"You don't…understand." Nick spoke quietly. "And they don't either." He admitted. "So many of them don't until the pain my kind has been through happens to THEM. It's not until they look through our eyes that they get it. Or until somebody good reaches out to their hearts and gets through. Sometimes the good's buried deep down, but…that good is there. It always is. Even…with you. That's why I can't really hate you…why I can't really hate ANYBODY, no matter how racist or cruel they act towards my people…because I find myself always seeing what a person COULD be, or WERE…it would be madness to see otherwise."

Samael was frozen. He could not move. Some part of him was resonating now, making him unable to speak. He dropped the blades in his arms as Nick approached, holding the white, glimmering pure light orb up, cupping it in his hands.

"I know what you used to be and that's why I cannot hate you.. And I know you may hate me for what I'm going to do, Morning Star, Light Bringer. But I know that you'll hate YOURSELF more because what I'm going to do…you'll understand the way I understand. The way you came so close to understanding before…"

Nick placed the orb into Samael's mouth and he swallowed it. There was a glimmer of light behind Samael's eyes as glimmering, shimmering whiteness began to pour out of his mouth and his eyes rolled back in his head…

…

…

…

…one by one the others made their way to the top of the hill. The sight of the lights had attracted them and now they all stood there, looking as Nick stood in front of a kneeling figure with brown fur…turquoise eyes…wings the color of the rainbow…

It looked down at it's hands.

"…what…have…I…done?" He whispered. "What…did I…_DO_?" He sobbed.

And with that he wailed and screamed as he threw his head back and began to tear at his wings, tugging the feathers off over and over even as they continuously regrew. Those of a lesser constitution nervously cringed, and a moment later those cringing looked HORRIFIED as the brown-furred figure began to beat his chest so hard that it began to bleed and he tried to scrape and cut into his flesh with his fingernails, a hard task since it seemed he was the kind who bit them when nervous.

Now in his smaller form, Chibisuke stood by his father, who looked mournfully at the brown figure. "Is that…Samael? Before…before he Fell?"

Nick nodded as he stepped back. Kila couldn't see his face, his back was turned to her and Zim.

"What…what did you do to him?" She asked.

He turned around and she gasped silently. He was…crying. She'd never seen him look so sad and yet…somewhat happy at the same time.

"He's beyond my help." Nick spoke softly. "The only person left who can help him is himself." He added, looking back sorrowfully at the sobbing figure of Sam, who was now digging into his still-healing chest, unable to truly die.

"…Nick…" Zim began. "Why do you not just…finish it?" He wanted to know.

"He has his goodness back now, Zim." Nick said as he rubbed his eyes on his arm and walked past the others. "God forbid I take THAT from him."

The people of Kokaua Town looked back at the pitiful figure who was left there, surrounded by his own blood, unable to die, and they could feel nothing now. Where had been hate was now sheer pity and sympathy. He was not the person he'd been moments before. He was not the person he'd been before the Fall either. He was something that did not know it's place in the world.

…and it had given up. And for that, they could feel nothing but pity for it as it lay there, continuously sobbing and screaming, tearing into itself as rain poured down harder and harder…

…

…

…

…

…Jack, seeing his former benefactor unable to go on, had been hiding to himself, watching from a telescope after setting a house afire. His paws shook with fear and terror…he had lost an enormous source of power now and…he was alone. He felt pure desperation drive him as he tossed the telescope away and ran out the door, running for the edge of town, hoping to reach the dock and escape. He'd almost reached it when…

BA-BAM!

The dock EXPLODED into shards of wood as Frequency lowered the missile launcher upon his shoulder and breathed the smoke away with a "HOOF", smirking and giving a thumbs up to Junior and Sari. "All yours." He said.

Jack's eyes went wide with horror and he then they turned into bloodshot slits as he held a switchblade knife up. "So the pacifist and the retard are gonna take me on, are they?"

"It's over, Jack." Junior spoke softly, gently as he approached. "You hurt some people and caused some property damage but it's over. Your "revolution" didn't last long at all. Your "revenge" against those who wronged you is done. Your mom and dad are waiting for you at home, let's go." He insisted, his red and blue eyes looking upon Jack with gentle warmth.

But they were returned with a baleful, snarling glint in Jack's eyes. "STAY BACK!" Jack snarled. Then he rushed forward and before Sari could use her temporal powers Jack had grabbed ahold of her by the neck and stuck his switchblade knife to her throat. He pressed it in slightly and she winced as Junior took a few steps back. "And YOU! Stoner! You so much as move one HAIR on that trigger of yours and I make sure the albino freak's daughter gets it!" Jack screamed in rage.

Sari was panting heavily as Jack began to speak quickly. "I'll run out of here…I want a car!" He demanded of Junior. "FAST! And HOT-looking! And then I want you to get on your knees and to LICK MY FEET CLEAN!" He added furiously, pointing at Nick with his other paw. "I KNEW you'd be there, waiting…you filthy HUMAN." He snarled.

There was that racism again. But Nick had reached a point where the sorrow he was feeling was swallowing up all his other emotions. He could only see a screaming, unhappy boy. And that, ultimately, was all Jack was now. He had a knife, yes, but…he was still a boy. Still very vulnerable.

A fact made all too obvious by his quick distraction at seeing Nick. Frequency leapt down from the tree he'd been in and Jack put the switchblade knife in deeper to Sari's throat as Frequency held his rifle up, then spoke. "I'll toss it down, okay, cuz?" He said.

He tossed the rifle down…all of time seemed to go slowly…

He then jumped through the air and flicked something. Something gold.

SCHRUCK-CLANK! It knocked the switchblade knife through the air as Sari did the only thing she could think of…she bit hard into the paw that was holding her and a sickening CRUNCHA-CRACK told her that she'd BROKEN his hand. Howling, Jack ran for his life through the trees as he raced towards the old mansion Spooky had usually haunted with Junior right behind…

…

…

…

…Grey stepped backwards, blinking.

"Eva…" He began. "Eve…why aren't you HURT? You were dragged off!" He insisted.

"I'm fine." She insisted. "Now that you're here. I was…I was so SCARED, I…I'm not much of a fighter." She whimpered, clinging to Grey. "I need you to protect me!"

Grey wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her gently. "It's okay. It'll be okay."

"I never wanna leave your side again. NEVER." She insisted.

"There's only one thing I want to ask." Grey inquired.

He stepped back. "How did you know I was Grey?" He asked softly.

"I know the one I love." She insisted, but in saying it…there was something behind it. A meaning that was faintly evident in her tone. And…she smelled…there wasn't any smell of blood on her. Or monster. She smelled like NOTHING…

"You're not real." Grey realized sadly. "You're not."

"But I AM real." Eve said, hugging him tightly. "I need you, Grey. I'm so scared, I don't want to be alone. I…"

"What ARE you?" He demanded to know, stepping back, holding her at arms length, his eyes accusative, yet also…begging. He didn't want her to be saying this, he had wanted to believe in this lie…well, perhaps only for a LITTLE longer.

"I was born from a wish…YOUR wish." Eve said as she held his hands. "But I AM real. Real to you." She said, placing her paw on his cheek and speaking with nothing but love in her voice. "I won't ever shout at you, or make you feel stupid, Grey. I'll stay with you when you're lonely and be a shoulder for you when you wanna cry. I'll love you and care for you and you'll protect me and smile at me and make my fears go away. You'll love me and that's all I need."

"You're not really an experiment…and you're not…a HUMAN turned into one either, are you?" Grey asked. "The blood within your veins, what…is it?"

Eve sighed and held up a rock, then cut her wrist…

_Pure pink…Dream. She wasn't a living being, she was a construct, really, she was nothing at all, she was nothing, she was not real_

"Please, let me love you." Eve begged. Grey looked sadly at her as she looked up at him. "Love me." She pleaded. "Please…let me know what it feels like." he began to take her clothes off in front of him, first the white shirt she'd had on with her, then the shorts to match…then the underwear…then she began to walk forward. "Please." She whispered.

It was so tempting. She wanted it. And in her eyes he saw both women he had loved and wanted to hold and protect forever. He found himself holding her by the cheek as the weight of the sword he'd strapped to his side became less and less heavy and he found fur growing back on his body as he changed, returning to his true self. Gently he stroked her cheek with his claws as he looked upon her with deep sorrow.

"I can't." He whispered. "I can't. You lied to me." He said gently. "Why, Eve?"

He shook his head slowly as he held her tightly to him. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth? I know what you truly are…I know you won't ever stop…not even with me. You do this for love, and I know, in a way, you do love me, but…you lied to me…you manipulated me. You used me…"

Eva looked angry now. She put her hands on her hips and before Grey's eyes began to change.

"Were you expecting Kila to be here?" she asked as her body became green, her nose getting slightly larger, her ears changing and becoming round as her voice took on a slightly thick accent…Jukani, the language Nick had mistaken half the time for Russian, half the time for Jewish. "You ought to know better than that by now. You know you can't see her again. She's GONE. You remember that, don't you? You killed her, you know. You might not have put a pillow to her face and stolen her life from her but you killed her by being kind. You were giving her another reason to stay behind on this island, another reason to be put in danger and ignore Samael's plans. You might as well have shoved her through the portal yourself! If you hadn't existed, she would have left Green sooner and you BOTH would have avoided a lot of pain."

"Or maybe…" She put a paw digit to her lip as her body became blue and her eyes gained a purple tint. Black hair fell down around her, save for a red fringe near one part to the side with a well-developed body. "Maybe you thought your precious Ewa Lani would be here? My slice of Heaven, wasn't that what you called her? Your perfect high school girlfriend! What did you think she would say? Did you think she would forgive you for leaving her in the way you did? Or would she just tell you how much she hates you for what you did to her? You know she cried for weeks."

Grey was quiet as "Ewa Lani" sneered at him, then Kila. The gesture was so alien to their features. It never "fit". Now she changed back to Eve and looked annoyed with Grey.

"Did you think they would take you BACK? That they'd pick you in the end?"

"I don't know what I wanted. But I know that…that you can't do this to people anymore." He said, raising his head up to look her resolutely in the eyes. "I can't let you, in good conscience, hurt anybody else. You have…you gotta go." He spoke quietly.

Eve realized with horror what he intended to do and backed away as he advanced slowly, shaking his head. "No…no, no-no, no, please, Grey…don't…"

He reached out and held her steady in his thick black claws, looking into her golden/amber eyes with his own black/green ones.

"Grey, no, please…" She begged. "Please! I can be better than them! You know I...I…I love you…"

And to her surprise, and horror, she saw he was weeping. _"I loved you too."_ He spoke gently. "I would have been a good mate to you. I would have protected you and cared for you. I would have made you laugh…you would have been so happy. I wanted to love you the way I'd loved THEM too...but I can't forgive what you've done and what you will do."

He drew her close and kissed her on the forehead as tenderly as a butterfly landing on a flower, and then his jaws opened wide.

White stood by a nearby alley, arms folded as he waited. He turned his head as Grey walked towards him, tears silently streaming down his cheeks as he placed one clawed hand upon his bulging, churning stomach. He knew she would not suffer, it was the final kindness the numbing agent within the pit of his belly offered. But it saddened him to know she was dying within him, because just as he had wanted to care for her, he felt that a part of her had begun to truly care for him…

"She couldn't have been turned. You know that." White spoke softly. "She wasn't really a "person". No matter how close she could have gotten…she wasn't a person."

"…but it was partly my fault the way she was…she chose me, yes, but…I helped to make her…"

"…are you alright?"

"No." Grey murmured. "Will I be?" He asked.

He felt Green gently nuzzle him and with that, he was comforted, allowing himself to throw his arms around his daughter as the rain came down, baptizing them.

…

…

…

…the rain felt hard and accusing against him, like tiny pricks of a needle into a voodoo doll. Every THWIP of them striking him, especially his broken hand and ricketety legs was a reminder of how weak he was as he struggled desperately to climb the stairs.

Rain. How ironic, he thought. Even his final attempt at getting back at them all, all of them who had been laughing at his weakness…it was like God himself hated him and wanted all of his plans foiled, even his most rudimentary-

CRA-CRASH! He almost fell through the staircase and pain shot up his leg as he tried to pull himself up. Junior looked upwards, seeing Jack desperately trying to escape from him. "Jack, you can't keep running!" Junior yelled. "Stop this!"

"Get the h-hell away from me!" Jack managed to stutter out as he gripped the handle of the stairs so tightly it almost cracked in his grip. Wiping his brow, he rushed up the stairs as fast as he could and pushed through the broken, cracked door ahead, finding himself in the attic. It was a dusky, damp place and cobweb-covered crates and boxes greeted his vision along with the dead, accusing eyes of various deer who's heads were mounted on the walls of the attic, leftovers from the previous owner.

He shoved and swiped and pushed away all the things in his path as he tried to make his way through the attic, barely listening to Junior's voice drifting up from down below the staircase. He fought his way through to the doorway across the attic and began wrenching at it, redoubling his efforts as he heard Junior coming up the stairs. With a mighty heave the door finally gave way and he climbed up the steps…

His legs felt like they were on fire. Hot, searing pain was shooting up through him as he tried to make his way up the flight of steps. He did not know for sure where he was going, WHY he'd chosen this house or why he was going up…to the roof…he just felt an utter urge to RUN, to run away and to not be caught. He found another door at the top and hurled himself at it, shoving it open.

The rain was coming down even harder now. Snarling angrily Jack lurched across the roof, but out of the corner of his eye he could see them now, all staring up at him, their confused, frightened expressions making it all too clear they had NO idea what he was up to. Accusingly staring at him with their falsely sympathetic-

"Jack…stop." Junior insisted. "You have no reason to be doing this." He gently cooed as he stepped onto the roof across from Jack.

"I have every reason!" Jack roared out, stretching his arms wide. "Do you know what it did to have me figure out what my parents were? What so many of the other HYPOCRITES in this town were? Why try to deny it? Villains judging villains, isn't it all absurd?"

"…that's…enough." Junior said, frowning angrily as he pointed at Jack with an accusing finger. "You've made your point time and time again and I always listened. Here's MINE! You were always weak on the OUTSIDE, Jack…but I never knew how weak you were on the INSIDE until now!"

Jack gaped at Junior, startled by this sudden growing of a pair.

"Green had parents that were just as villainous, if not MORE so, than YOURS! They encouraged her to be evil, unlike YOUR parents, who gave you love and devotion and forgiveness time and time again! Over and over your family showed you love! WE showed you love! You had EVERY chance, EVERY reason to be good, just as Green had every chance, EVERY reason to turn evil when Kila and Zim abandoned her! She could have remained broken! She could have lashed out at the world the way YOU did when YOU found out your parents had been thieves! But instead, she chose to pick herself up and do some GOOD in her life! To make USE of what she'd been left with!"

Twirling, unable to stay steady, the fire in his legs was now becoming twisting pain…

"And YOU? YOU who had parents who treated you with love? Who had _ohana_ all around you that tried to teach you right from wrong? You IGNORED them! YOU DAMNED YOURSELF! It was your CHOICE to do evil that made you weak! You and Green both had a choice! And it would have made more sense if Green had picked evil, I suppose…but NO! She choose good! YOU choose the cowards way out! You're WEAK, Jack! You're a foul, nasty, racist little JERK! And you DESERVE this!" He said angrily.

And with that, he strode forward and SLAPPED Jack across the face. HARD. Jack felt his nose break and he gasped in pain as some blood pooled in his paws before the rain washed it away and Junior's red and blue eyes glared at him one final time before…

"Now go home." He said firmly, turning around and walking for the door.

Insult. The final insult. How dare, how DARE he just TURN AROUND…Jack could not take it. Hearing those words…getting the slap…and now this. What was left of reason in him was stomped into the dirt as he howled and rushed forward…

On the top…of a slick…wet…old…roof.

He slipped.

…he fell.

CRACKA-CRACK!

…

…

…

…and with that…silence…until, slowly but surely…they carried the unmoving form up and with a revering attitude placed him in his mother and father's arms as they looked down at their still son who could not move again.


	31. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_Anne Frank had a lot of excellent things to tell people. Here's a few of my favorite quotes...which I think apply very well, as true now as they were then..._

_"It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death...and yet...I think...this cruelty will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."_

_"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."_

_And...finally..._

_"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"_

Eva awoke to find herself face to face with Grey. But that wasn't possible. She had DIED. She'd been DIGESTED, for Pete's sake, she…

She realized what she was. A spirit, nothing more…well, not EVEN a true spirit, a construct, a semblance of a spirit. Even WHITE had more reality to him than she did right now.

Grey was sitting upon some invisible bench and looking at her with an expression that she could not decipher. It was half sorrow, half anger. It was like…he was trying to decide whether to kiss her or to kill her. He seemed to look at her for a long, long time.

There was something else that she realized about herself as she looked down at her. It was a subtle change. Her fur…her entire body was turning completely pink. Slowly…very slowly. She was changing into raw Dream.

"You don't have any more reason for being." Grey explained sadly. "Because you're a part of me now. That was what one bit of you wanted…to be with me forever. You'll remain with me as pure potential."

He walked towards her then and held her cheek. She was unraveling now, like a spider's web. He saw her for what she really was. It was not Kila's face, nor Ewa Lani, but it wasn't Eva's face either, not the sensual, so-close, almost twin-sister-esque form that he'd come to know and love. It was what she truly was. This near-formless pink thing that was only MIMICKING traits…

"But part of you is still holding on. Please, Eva…end it." He said, placing his clawed hand on her shoulder. "Don't make me hurt you anymore. Please." He begged. "I don't want you to be in pain."

"Grey…I love you…" Eva's voice managed to whisper out from her mouth as she reached for his throat.

He kissed her then. She stopped moving…and with that her body slowly began to dissolve away into tiny little butterflies that flapped around in the air before flying off into the white abyss. Grey watched her go, arms hanging from his sides as he hung his head, a deep look of one having witnessed Hell itself upon his features. He had seen things that he had not been prepared to see, done things no mortal was meant to do, and all he could do was take a breath and keep going, a little sadder but a little wiser.

He knew not where she would go.

All he hoped was that it would be someplace she could find happiness. She had deserved, at least, that much. And at least he had been able to give her semblance of a soul the chance.

…

…

…

…it had been some days after it had all ended. And new life filled the world.

And guess who'd helped bring it into said world?

"Say it." Dr. Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel said, wearing a big blue jacket with red felt interior and a large necklace that had a gold "H" at the front...his brother's. The smile of the Muridean was so large it was like it was threatening to jump off of his head.

"No." Stitch snapped, folding his arms as he turned away from the space hamster. Angel, Rupert, Nick and Lilo were in the hospital room of Grendella as Sandy held one of her paws, the other gently placed upon the blue-furred child she had just recently born.

**"Say it!"** Hammy spoke up, insisting, almost bouncing off the heels of his big feet.

"No." Angel snapped.

_**"Say it!" **_

"NO!"

_**"SAY IT!"**_

"OKAY, FINE!" Angel snapped. "Fine! We promise to never again threaten to eat you or shove you up anything."

"Or stick you in the freezer when we're angry."

"Or keep using nicknames we'd use to also describe fine cheeses."

"OR pee on you when you ask for a urine sample." Stitch finished. "There. Are you happy now?"

"My immense happiness cannot be adequately expressed in a single sentence." Dr. Hamsterviel told them all, beaming. "I am too euphorically euphoric. Absolutely nothing you say would irk me now. FINALLY THERE IS JUSTICE IN THE WORLD!" He proclaimed, jumping up and down, giddy.

"To be honest Stitch, it was time." Lilo insisted. "I mean, he went to the Other Side to bring you and the others back, AND he delivered your son's new son. After all he did for you, I think it was about time you started being a bit nicer to him."

"Never AGAIN am I going to have to endure half a day in YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACT!" He told Angel. He then began to sing "I feel good", bouncing up and down on top of a nearby chair and playing an air guitar.

"Watch it, or I drop you like it's hot." Angel muttered.

"So how are you doing?" Kila asked Grey as he sat on the bench outside of the hospital, waiting for his mom and dad to get out. Zim was talking with Ewa Lani about the finer points of Irken weaponry and how he had properly used to to "Stop a wild hogulus from the INSIDE".

"…" Grey bit his lip and folded his hands in his lap. "I really cared about her. I had…to eat…my girlfriend." He muttered.

"Sucks, man." She said sadly, patting him on the arm.

"She DESERVED IT." Grey said angrily. But then that anger dissolved away as he shook his head. "No. No she didn't." He mumbled quietly. "Even if she wasn't really a person, she…didn't deserve it." He admitted, placing one hand on his stomach and then shaking his head. She had wanted somebody to care for her, to never be alone, to love…but what she had asked in return was too much, and too horrible. He sympathized with her, but he couldn't have let her live. All he could do was ensure she hadn't suffered.

"If anybody didn't DESERVE something, it was you. You didn't deserve to have to DO that to somebody you loved that much." Kila insisted.

"…" Grey sighed deeply as he looked up at the clouds. "That's just my life." He remarked with a shrug. "It sucks so much." He decided at last. "But…if I gave up nothing I did would be worth anything." He told her. "I have to be brave and keep walking, even when it seems like insanity to not give in."

She seemed to accept that and nodded in approval. Grey rubbed his chin. "Say, Kila…you're going back to work on probation, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yeah." Kila said. "Rueben put in a good word for us, we've got our jobs back. Life's goin' back to normal, I guess."

"As normal as it gets." Green laughed, popping up from behind the bench, smiling broadly as Two stood by her.

"TWO?" Kila looked amazed. "When'd you get back?"

"Staccato dropped me off early." He said happily. "Apparently…it wasn't my time." He added, shrugging. "Now, I know this is gonna be weird, but I wanna make this all work."

"We should thank Staccato later. He gave me a brother." Green said, hugging him tightly. "C'mon! Let's go play "Toss the GIR"!" She told him, tugging at his hand as they headed for the car where GIR and Minimoose were honking the horn.

"So then…Two will stay with you and Green will be with me, and we'll visit each other whenever we can?" Grey asked finally.

"Yeah. And…I wanna thank you for…for agreeing to take Green. And…for always being so nice and sweet to me no matter what." Kila added. "I don't really…sometimes I don't think I deserve a friend like you."

Grey stood up as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't say that." He insisted. "Don't. Grey Nicholas Pelekai will always be Kila's friend." He hesitated slightly. "But…I WOULD like…something." He added.

"What?" Kila wanted to know.

"Could we…dance?" He asked nervously. "I mean…I've never…never really danced before, but…I'd kind of like to dance with you."

Kila looked nervous as well. "I've never really done much dancing either. Uh…well…"

She rubbed the back of her neck, and then finally smiled. "Okay!" She decided, taking his hand in her paw. Gently they rocked back and forth, to and fro as sweet music filled their ears and a calming, sweet balm filled their bodies. It was much like they were in the middle of a musical and in the midst of the most romantic part of the story.

_**You're better than the best…I'm lucky just to linger in your life…cooler than the flip side of my pillow, that's right…**_

They parted slightly, arms stretched out, then clasped their hands and spread their arms forward, and then waltzed back and forth, back and forth again, one pair of arms held back and up, the other clasped tightly to their fronts.

_**Completely unaware…nothing can compare to where you send me…let's me know that it's okay…yeah, it's okay, and the moments when the good time start to fade…**_

Then Grey gently held Kila's face in his clawed hands, being as careful as he could not to scratch her…and the moment happened.

_**You make me smile like the sun, fall outta bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night…you make dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee…just the thought of you can drive wild…**_ He kissed her then, and she kissed him back, tender, quick, momentary. What came a moment later was far more beautiful though, for her wrapped his arms around her as she did to him, and nuzzled her deeply, lifting her up slightly since he WAS taller than her. He was warm to her. Soft…gentle…ticklish almost.

_**Oh, you make me smiiiile…**_

It felt good. It felt very good.

He then gently let go of her and then walked her to Zim. He nodded at the two, smiling, and then placed her paw in Zim's hand, kissing it. Then he gently took Ewa Lani's hand and led her inside the hospital as Zim and Kila followed after.

"So…" Kila asked as she walked into the room where the others were, looking at the yellow-eyed kid in Grendella's arms. "Whatcha gonna name the little blue furball?"

"We had his name picked out." Grendella said. "We went through a list of old experimental baby names that were popular and we picked the one we liked the most."

Sandy gently patted his son on the head. "His name will be Frequency." He told Nick as he handed the little one to the human.

Nick held the child up and then kissed it on the forehead, and for a brief moment a sparkle of rainbow light glittered in it's eyes as Nick smiled. "Well…in THAT case, with a name like that…you need something cool to go with your name."

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small mood necklace shaped like a peace symbol, placing it around the child's head. "Like it?"

"…too cooooool." The child said, holding it as it turned pink in it's little paws.

"It TALKS." Kila stated, eyes widening.

"It THINKS hard too, I could hear him thinking how hungry he was." Grendella added.

Nick was so startled by all of this he almost dropped the child, but Lilo took it in her arms and smiled down at it.

"Y'know…somehow…I think this little guy's gonna be meant for big things." She told them all, tickling him with her nose.

Frequency, the grown up one, leaned against a tree outside and then held up the pink-colored peace mood necklace in his paws. He hopped down from the tree, bouncing slightly before he came to a rest and grabbed the surfboard that he'd rested against the palm tree. Looking it over, he beamed and headed towards the beach to catch a wave. He had places to be…things to see…a girlfriend to go back home to.

…

…

…

…

"Thanks for agreeing to watch our kids." Orion told Heartwing as the little dragon gently gave a horse kiss to Grey while he tickled another experimental child with his tail. It was a green experiment with a large, squirrel-like tail and a symbol on it's forehead that giggled whenever Heartwing tickled him. "Sara and I have to help Rueben reorganize the meeting hall of the GFA. The janitorial staff was…" He tilted the side in a "Y'know" gesture as Heartwing nodded.

"They're not "our" kids, per se." Sara admitted. "The truth is that Popper here is our son from birth and Grey we adopted." She sighed. "He was our friend's son. They were really very extraordinary people." She added, making the dragon widen his eyes as he understood the implication.

Heartwing gently held the two children in his arms as Victoria held Maria in hers, rocking her back and forth as they all sat in the park. Hogan couldn't stop smiling down at Maria as she tugged on his moustache "I'm sorry." He said sadly, looking at Orion and Sara. He could guess what they were implying. "But it's not like they won't come back again."

Orion smiled. "No…it's not. So until they do…" He gently patted little Grey on the head. "We'll look after him. We're all family, after all."

"I'm gonna be a daaaaad! I'm gonna be a daaaaad!" Eclipse laughed as he cartwheeled past them all. Chopsuey, who was sititng by his daughter's side with Carmen, looked him over.

"So Esmeralda's finally got a bun in the oven?" He inquired, looking very interested. "Boy or girl?"

"It's a boy AND girl. I can tell." Eclipse spoke up. "Maybe twins! THAT I'm not sure of, but definitely a boy and a girl. The smell gave it away." He added as he grinned broadly. "Also, there's another way to tell. You know how during pregnancy women get hormonal?"

"Yeaaaaah…are there…certain behaviors…that pregnant dragons exhibit?" Chops asked.

"If she's got a BOY, she'll be craving raw meat. If she's got a GIRL, she'll be craving lots of sweets. If she's got BOTH…" Heartwing made an "icky" face.

"…no WONDER you're so happy." Hogan remarked.

"It is SO cool. And SO weird." Eclipse admitted.

"_Cabron._" Carmen cursed, sticking her tongue out at him.

"THEY enjoy it too." Esmeralda added as she walked over, looking down at her swollen womb. "They go WILD afterwards."

"…and now it just became disgusting." Eclipse moaned. "Why do you do this to me?" He asked her as Chopsuey and Carmen began to laugh madly.

"Hey guys, what do you think of the names "Enil" and "Tiamat?" Esmeralda inquired. "That way I can call the boy "Enny" and the girl "Matty"."

"I think it's cute." Sara told her. "Say…" She bit her lip. "What are we going to do about Sammy?" They asked.

All of them sighed and looked across the park at the hill as Samael continued to lie there on the ground, sobbing at the sky, trying to claw his own turquoise eyes out. "Will he ever stop?" Sara wondered.

"I admit that the person he was before Nick changed him back deserved it." Eclipse decided. "…but now…looking at him…" His face scrunched up in hesitation. "…I don't feel the hatred I had for him before. He's just…SAD now."

"…we can try and make sure it DOES happen." Orion decided at last. "That he does stop one day. He needs…another reason to live now, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. It'll take a long time though." Esmeralda admitted.

"We "Angelus" breed are immortal." Orion said, holding Sara's paw. "…we can stay…we can wait." He said as they walked towards the sobbing, screaming light bringer on the hill and their new task began.

…

…

…

… "What are you going to do now?" Jumba asked White as he looked at Sari getting off the bus to join the other kids at school.

"…Kelsey is gone, but…Sari's still alive…and…I'm not…fatherly material." He admitted softly. "Somwhere out there is a woman for me who'll help me become a good dad, but…Michael White can barely take care of himself, let alone a little girl." He remarked quietly as he turned to Pleakley and Jumba. "So if I ever screw up or…go away and don't come back for…maybe forever, I need to know I can trust you two to look after her and take care of her."

Pleakley nodded. "I will." He promised gently. "You have my promise."

"As you have mine." Jumba agreed.

"And Bartok will not be bothering her anymore, either in this world or in the next." Vassago spoke up as he waved goodbye to Patch, standing by Dr. PL and Heala. "I've made SURE of that." He added, flames licking out the corner of his mouth. "Frequency was kind enough to drop him off at my palace a few days ago..."

King waved the children into the school and then sighed sadly as the last one walked inside. The others noticed this and approached him. "What's wrong?" They inquired.

"The Soul Robber." He said. "Alex's gift. I tried it out on a dummy, to test it's strength. It…" He shuddered horridly. "I think there are some places I am still not meant to go." He admitted. "I had wanted to return it to Alex, but last night somebody stole it from my dojo. A key to open doors to all Hells just…VANISHED." He shivered. "I shudder to think what one might do with it…"

"Don't worry about it too much." Pleakley insisted, spreading his arms wide. "Come on! We beat the bad guys! Life's normal again. Let's all just get inside and get to work with the kids. We've got a LOT of teaching to do today!" He told them, placing his hands on Jumba's shoulders and beaming.

"I oughta SLUG you one!" Yuna angrily told Pitt as King noticed her talking with the bully, holding a fist up…with one hand behind her back, a wand raised…

"Aw, y'all wouldn't hit a guy with GLASSES, wouldja?" Pitt laughed, putting glasses over his eyes that he'd "borrowed" from a nerd. Yuna thought up the right spell and King gaped as she smirked up at Pitt.

"No. And I wouldn't hit a girl, either!" She added.

Pitt then blinked stupidly as the kids standing around began to guffaw and laugh at him, pointing and snickering. He looked down and noticed the huge pair he'd just grown.

"Oh my GOD!" Gavrilo laughed as he exited the room for Wood Shop. "Hey everyone, look! Pitt's got tits that're bigger than my MOM'S!"

King began snickering madly as White looked him over with a big smirk. "Lemme guess…you didn't teach her THAT one, didja?"

"Ah, she is a CLEVER student." King decided as Pitt ran off, bawling, rushing into the Men's room, forcing all of the guys out.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Myr told Nacht as the experiment looked over Myr's latest piece of art. "Gavrilo sculpted it for Woodshop class. He told me it's a present for me."

"It's uh…um…" Nacht bit his lip. "Er…"

"Beautiful, I know." Myr told Nacht. He'd carved a wooden figurine that looked very much like an African sculpture of a naked man, only it had a very big…um…example of "morning wood", I suppose you could say. "He said the wood speaks to him."

"It speaks to him." Nacht remarked.

"Yep."

"…yes, it's speaking to me too." Nacht thought out loud as Myr walked off. "And it's saying you're both GAY." He added privately, snickering madly.

"Now, now." Spectra said as she swept a broom through the woodshop class to clean it up before the kids began. "You should love a person regardless of sexual preference."

"Well right now? This thing is saying that their preference…is GUYS." Nacht wisecracked.

"And here I thought you were born without a sense of humor!" Spectra laughed.

Meanwhile, the kid's first class had begun. Page smiled as he cleared his throat, and then tapped his pointer stick against the wall.

"Today I'm going to be helping you understand all those fancy ceremonies I do at the church. Since so much of them are in LATIN, I imagine you all start scratching your heads when I and the other members of the church who know the language begin to proclaim it. So now I believe it's only fair I teach you some Latin so you may understand how it all works!"

He cleared his throat again. "The best way to get your attention about Latin is to make you interested in it…to make it ACCESSIBLE to you. Therefore, I'll put a Latin phrase on the board."

He wrote "Vescere bracis meis."

"What's that mean?" Patch wanted to know.

"It means "Eat my shorts"." Page laughed.

Echo began to laugh. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! That is, like, SOOOO-"

All of the power went out in the room, then the hallway, then the school.

_"…Echooooooo."_ They all groaned.

Page put up an umbrella as the sprinkler system turned on a moment later, trying not to smile as everybody shrieked. "Well, as we might say in Latin, Noli nothi permittere te terere."

…

…

…

…Darth was kneeling by her grave as he held his gloved hand upon it. He sighed sadly at long last as the wind cut at his body, and then got up, walking over to the next grave and placing his hand upon that.

"They were never boring." He told Heartwing. "Erin was the first woman I ever loved and Tak came close to being the second. Very close."

"Did you ever…say…?" Heartwing asked as he held the blind Irken's hand to comfort him. "Say you loved her?"

"…I thought it." Darth spoke softly. "And I made sure she heard before…" He couldn't go on. He covered his eyes and began to cry. Heartwing gently patted him on the back and led him to a bench, where he just held him until his tears had ended. "It's so hard." Darth got out at last. "It's so hard to continue loving even when the people you care for the most die…it feels like…" He held his chest. "It feels like they rip the love out of you when they go and for a long time you don't think love's even real anymore."

Heartwing then placed his hand upon the Irken's chest and shook his head. "She's not gone. Both have never died. They're still…in you." He said. "You'll remember. And you'll love. And that's all you need."

Meanwhile, Naomi was having a painting adjusted in her manor...it needed cleaning up for the wedding that was soon to come. "What do you think?" She asked Joshua as Junior held it up with his antennae.

"PERFECT." Joshua decided, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "Excellent!"

Junior nodded and placed the painting there upon the wall, dusting himself off. "Anything else I can assist you with?" He inquired.

"No, no, I'm very happy with your work." Naomi said, bowing slightly. "And I think I've learned a thing or two about you from watching you work." She added. "You seem very honest. So…it is my great pleasure…" She smiled and withdrew something from behind her back. "To give you this."

Junior held the parchment over in his hands, seeing Naomi's family seal upon the parchment. "**The reference**?" He asked, blue and red eyes widening.

"You're on your way!" Naomi told him, placing her paw on his paw and nodding. "I wish you the best, future page of the Galactic Federal Alliance."

Grinning happily he hugged Naomi very tightly, then with a mighty whoop he rushed out of the manor, heading back to where his father and mother were waiting. Junior clutched the parchment to his like it was a protective charm from God himself.

"There's something about him." Naomi decided as she led Joshua into the next room to sit with him in the living room. "Something very interesting."

"You noticed it too?" Joshua asked, looking eager.

"Thanks for agreeing to get caught." Naomi told him. "I couldn't have done this without you. I need to see just what sort of people they were."

"You definitely got a good look!" Joshua told her. "So do you think we should continue to keep an eye on Junior?"

"Yes, I think we can expect great things from him." Naomi decided, placing her paws together and nodding eagerly. "His _ohana_ is very strange, but there's just element about them that I feel I can't ignore…" She added, rubbing her chin.

"What about that dragon that was with them?" Joshua wanted to know. "I know you don't usually like dragons."

"I doubt he'll be a threat at all." Naomi decided on the spot, shrugging. "For one, when he hugged me, I couldn't explain it, but…I felt VERY warm and fuzzy and I wanted to pet people on the **head**. And second, it's not like he's ever going to end up seeing us again!" She added, laughing lightly.

…

…

…

...Imagine, he thought. A job at the GFA was waiting for him over the summer, and at such a young age. How long would it be before he'd be a senator at last? He should send Naomi some crystallized apple to thank her. He knew she liked that kind of sugary fruit. Yes…crystallized apple. In a big basket. And with chocolates! She'd said she liked coconut too…

Opening the door to Jack's home, he called out. "Mrs. Aihue! Mr. Aihue! Bonnie? Clyde?"

"They're not home yet." Jack's voice rasped out as he coughed a little from the living room. "Did you bring the homework for my classes?" He wondered.

"Yep." Junior told him, beaming. "Gavrilo will be around here later with the others so we can get together with Yuna and Echo and Patch and work on the big project."

"Do you think I'll be able to get over there?" Jack nervously asked, biting his lip.

"Heartwing will make sure you don't fall out." Junior told him. "Remember we need a full biography on Senkoukura for the project and I know you've been good about the comments, but you also need to be open to eating Japanese food."

"I'll…TRY it." Jack muttered at last, sighing deeply. "I'll try it."

"Good!" Junior told Jack as he took the handles of Jack's wheelchair and began to push him outside of the house. "Your wrappings for your neck come off when?" He asked Jack.

"Well, your father said that in a few weeks they'll be off." He admitted.

As Junior continued to push Jack out of the house and down the sidewalk to go to the park where the others would be waiting, he wondered what the future would hold, not for him, but for Jack. Broken legs…broken arms…shattered paws…spine almost snapped in half…he couldn't do HALF the thing's he'd been able to do before, and yet despite all that he seemed…more positive than he'd been before.

It was because of that, Junior felt, that Jack probably had a chance at happiness in the years that were to come. Yes, he could never move his legs or back again…nor tilt his head too far…but there was a chance. A chance that hadn't been there before.

"What's that around your digit?" Jack inquired. "That OTHER ring?"

"Oh, it's…it's a promise ring." Junior said nervously, grinning slightly. "Green has one too…"

He had surprised himself at how quickly he'd forgiven Jack for all he had done. He was surprised how much sympathy and pity were like love.

…

…

…

…Green screamed horribly as she clung to the wall of the elevator. "AAAAAHHH!" She wailed. "Oh God, oh God, oh GOD!"

Staccato nervously looked from her to Skoodge. "She's giving birth NOW? Right before the anniversary party for Chops? This is the WORST time!"

"I'M not the one who made the elevator get stuck…ohhh…" Skoodge wrung his hands. "I'll try, I'll do what I can." He said as Green quickly took her pants off. "Listen Green, I want you to focus and to take deep breaths, alright?"

Junior clung tightly to his girlfriend's paw. _This can't be happening! What if something goes wrong?_ He thought, eyes wide with fear. He didn't want his baby or his baby's babies to be hurt.

"She's going to be alright." Staccato insisted as the change came over him and an angel remained. He placed his hand upon Green's shoulder. "Your children will be safe with us."

The fire that had been spreading through Green's body became cooled as she felt arms wrap around her lovingly…a soothing light began to fill her vision. She could see her children's smile already and was reaching out…

She soon found two bundles of fuzzy little things were staring up at her with love in their eyes. Remiel held another two in his arms, and Junior was holding another two, with Skoodge holding up one last child.

"Septuplets." He told her happily. "Seven children!"

"This one looks like your dad." Junior told her. "And this one like your mom! And this one like your other dad!"

"Awww, this one looks a lot like you." Skoodge told Junior, tickling the little one in his arms. "Only with green eyes…and I THINK that's some brown hair on top…"

…

…

…

…Snizzi placed his gloved three-digited hands together as he looked out at the large table before him. The walls of the meeting room in his home were currently painted a very lovely royal shade of blue, with rich, ornate tapestries. Above all, there were people from all over the realms of Hell…including both representatives from Purgatory and one very, VERY special representative from Heaven.

"Vanity, thank you for the wine. Merlot IS my favorite." Snizzi added, holding up a long glass of wine and sipping it as he lay back in the floating chair he saw in made entirely of bone. All of the faces were grinning happily though, and some had flowers poking out of the eye sockets. He toasted a black and grey-furred experiment, the Queen of Experimental Hell who was sitting with her husband, the mighty Darkheart. "Now then…the… "Management upstairs"…has asked that we deal different when faced with certain…people…who might need particular punishment. Before I'D just pick them out, but…" He gestured at Saint Ribera. "Saint Ribera has requested that we do things fairly."

A hand was raised in the air. One of the representatives of Purgatory was looking intrigued. "Yes, Azazel?" Snizzi inquired as the Beautiful Angel stood by Heatwave.

"Just a question…are you…by chance…including Miyu in that?" He inquired.

"Oh yes." Snizzi remarked. "Granted, it was fun to watch her get spanked for three weeks straight by MALIK, but we do need to think up a new punishment for all she's done. BUT…we're doing this fairly." He added.

"I think we should make her go into Vorago! NAKED!" One dorky-looking person spoke up, horns poking through his hair.

"Well, uh, that might have been something worth voting on, BUT, since you didn't raise your hand…I'm going to have to disregard it. And you're going into the **closet of unbelievable psychological torment.**" The Emperor of Hell added. "Sage? Pyro? If you could?"

The rulers of Muridean Hell grabbed ahold of the ruler of Arcadian Hell and tossed him into a nearby closet. The sounds of "THE LLAMAS! THE LLAMAS! EEEEEVERYWHEEEERE" echoed in their ears.

"Now then…anybody ELSE wanna interrupt without raising their hand?"

"…we'll be good." The others spoke up.

"Good!" Snizzi remarked. "Now then…" He clapped his hands and a Djinn appeared, holding up a box with title cards nearby. "Write down an idea on what we can do to Miyu, and then we'll vote on it." He told them as they began to fill out ideas onto the cards. "Good! Now…enough of THAT! As you know, Sage is pregnant. So I've decided we've gotta to throw a BABY SHOWER." He remarked.

"Ooh, you're EXPECTING?" Azazel asked eagerly as the dark grey-furred, red-eyed Muridean giggled.

"Well…" She admitted, nervously grinning.

"How are Green's children? Is it true?" Heatwave asked.

"Yep. Seven kids!"Snizzi laughed. "Her ohana's getting bigger every day! She's even named one after that friend of yours down in Purgatory, what's that Muridean's name?" Snizzi wondered, rubbing his chin.

"Listen." Green said as she held the ball of fluff up in her arms, smiling down at Charles. "Junior and I thought about this long and hard."

Jack blinked as he sat in his wheelchair, his mother and father standing behind him, eyes widening in understanding, though Jack's face was filled with confusion. They had gathered in the large house that was Junior's mansion, which he'd been able to buy at long last due to his Senator's salary.

"You remember that the wedding was sudden, since we didn't want the children we were giving birth to to be…bastards…" Green admitted.

"Yes, and Mehjen got so drunk the Executioner had to dunk his head in hot sauce to wake him up. Dey gotten ridda the stains yet?" Bonnie asked them.

"EVENTUALLY they will. Confidence is high, Dr. Leafgreen told us." Green admitted.

"At the wedding YOU ended up getting so excited that you fainted and you've been in the hospital for three weeks. But now you're better and we can ask you this. The thing is… we'd like you to be Charles's godfather." Junior told Jack.

Jack's mouth opened and closed. He gaped.

"We couldn't think of anyone better." Junior went on.

And then it came. Tears, hot and real and heartfelt pouring down his cheeks as Jack was almost unable to believe what they were saying, what they were offering…

"Thank…you…" He managed to sob out. _"Thank…you…"_

…

…

…

…Heartwing waved goodbye to Makani, who smiled happily, placing his hand on the head of his OWN son who had inherited his father's white fur and his father's father's black, unretractable claws with green-tinted black eyes. "How long will it be?" He called out.

"I don't know. I never do!" Heartwing laughed.

"No. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Makani said as he watched Charles follow Heartwing. "Charles, hurry up. Frequency and Ember will need help for the Shabat tonight that we're doing for Enil." He insisted.

It had been many years. The town had not changed too much outwardly, though inwardly, it had become something far more than it'd been preciously.

Heartwing clutched the bouquet of dandelions that he'd picked to his chest as Charles walked alongside him, brushing some of his brown hair back, looking so much like his great great uncle, complete with ponytail and vibrant green eyes.

"So this is it?" He asked softly as Heartwing stood at the top of the hill that overlooked the town, the park hill that had formerly housed one sobbing angel that had gone home at last. "When…will you be back?"

"I dunno." Heartwing admitted. "But…I'll be back. Like the others. We just aren't needed here and now."

Charles nodded, accepting this, and walked off to find his godfather's grave to pay his respects as he always did every Sunday. Heartwing looked down at the plaque below his taloned feet and brushed it with his hand. It read "Ohana is family, and all are family".

He smiled happily as tears welled in his eyes, placing the flowers down. He felt his wings spread out as he soared higher and higher into the blue sky above, a brilliant green dot admist a sea of blue, circling over the hill as he rose up further.

_**I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around,  
But she takes it all for me.  
And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,  
But she makes me want to believe. **_

They had not stayed, no. Time had passed and they had had to take their leave. But they seemed less real the more he thought of them as being dead and buried in the ground. They didn't seem truly THERE as spirits or vague specters, floating around, watching and waiting. But the idea of them somewhere else, off having other adventures, that idea too was not quite…right.

_**They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
She is loooooove, and she is all I need.  
She's all I neeeeed…**_

No, they were not here. They had all become something more.

_**Well I had my ways, they were all in vain,  
But she waited patiently.  
It was all the same, all my pride and shame,  
And she put me on my feet. **_

They were elsewhere. They had gone beyond and had become something far more wonderful than they'd been before.

_**They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
She is looooove, and she is all I need…**_

Really…they were everywhere. They were everything…

_**And when that world slows down, dear.  
And when those stars burn out, here.  
Oh she'll be here, yes she'll be here,  
They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
They call her love, love, love, love, love.  
They call her love, love, love, love. love…**_

And he was joining them.

_**She is love, and she is all I need,  
She is love, and she is all I need,  
She is love, and she is all I neeeeeed…**_

And so Love soared up higher, ready to embrace a world that was, at long last, ready to return the hug…a world that was willing to listen to what he and his _ohana_ had to teach.

…

…

…

…_** Sky in my wings…soaring ever higher, far below I see you there…  
I am raptured, I am blissful, I am home as I taste the virgin air…  
I shall lift you up above…**_

_**(Nothing but love)**_

_**I was playing on the shore,  
All of Life before me  
All I was were the rocky waters…  
In the corner of my eye  
There's a lighthouse rising far above…  
Sending out this message:  
"Nothing but love…love…love…  
Nothing but love…"**_

_**The forest guides me home along a pathway,  
Gonna take the back way, yes I am so happy,  
now at last I'm home…  
Just inhale the light within the darkness  
that cascades from above…**_

_**(Nothing but love)**_

_**I was playing on the shore,  
All of Life before me  
All I was were the rocky waters…  
In the corner of my eye  
There's a lighthouse rising far above…  
Sending out this message:  
"Nothing but love…love…love…  
Nothing but love…"**_

_**Moon rising into night, embrace the sky,  
Like a mother holds her child, as a lover holds another…  
You the sister to the sun, the stars surround you,  
Shining bright, each a sister and a brother…  
Patchwork beauty, one of three,  
Illuminating in the sky above…**_

_**(Nothing but love)**_

_**I was playing on the shore,  
All of Life before me  
All I was were the rocky waters…  
In the corner of my eye  
There's a lighthouse rising far above…  
Sending out this message:  
"Nothing but love…love…love…  
Nothing but love…"**_

_**A mother gently rocks her baby back and forth,  
Her arms as a cracle, his smile pure and wide…  
All of us are connected, all of us are bless-ed,  
Goodness fills us up from the inside…  
Just remember I'll be watching,  
I'll be soaring in the skies above…  
Don't forget the message…**_

_**(Nothing but love)**_

_**I was playing on the shore,  
All of Life before me  
All I was were the rocky waters…  
In the corner of my eye  
There's a lighthouse rising far above…  
Sending out this message…**_

_**I was playing on the shore,  
All of Life before me  
All I was were the rocky waters…  
In the corner of my eye  
There's a lighthouse rising far above…  
Sending out this message…  
"Nothing but love…love…love…  
Nothing but…loooooooove…**_

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

And so...it ends.

I tried to wrap up all the loose ends AND the final fate of some of the others I shall leave up to you to imagine. Above all, I am proud of this story. In it, I addressed horror in some of it's worst and most terrifying forms...I feel that, often...we MAKE our own worst enemies...but we also all have the potential to OVERCOME those enemies. The same species that has produced people like Charlie Manson, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot is the same species that gave us Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ and Gandhi.

And where are your great and evil empires in this world? The Nazi's aryan empire? Gone. Stalin's sinister police? Gone. The twisted inquisitors of the Spanish Inquisition? Gone. All dust in the wind, their kind fading out. And left behind are ordinary folks still trying to do good in a crazy world. That's something that gives me hope.

I'd like to say that several characters used wherein are direct property of people who I greatly admire and hope found this work to be tributing to them. Kila...naturally...you know who she belongs to. 630kila! I must also thank Albineolove not merely for her inspiration in creating Pyro and Sage (two VERY interesting characters and if you don't know who Albineolove, aka Danielle is, GO CHECK HER OUT on DA) but whom also inspired the character of Esme. Yes, you did that, Danielle. I'd also like to thank Joshua for graciously allowing me to use his characters in this story, and the same applies to winkywoo.

I wish to dedicate this story to electriccircuslover, Steve. To remind him that no matter whatever might befall him...I hope he remembers that there are real people who will always care about him, myself being one of them. Hold hard. Hold hard.

I have faith the future. I have hope in good winning in the end. And above all, I have love of others.

Peace out. ; )


End file.
